Match day 13 of Rwanda Premier League was arguably full of entertaining football where fans witnessed a mix of moments of brilliance and disappointments.
Overall, it was a weekend of breathtaking goals and great comebacks across the various match venues.
A total of 21 goals were scored across all match centres with APR vs Mukura clash producing the highest number of goals (6) while league leaders Rayon Sports were the only team to win away from home.
Times Sport takes a look at five key talking points from match day 13 of the Rwanda Premier League.
A weekend of comebacks
What makes week 13 action unique is a host of spirited comebacks made when some winning teams could barely find a room to fight back in the first place.
On Friday, Bugesera FC came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Police FC. The game saw Yannick Bizimana netting an 88th minute equalizer to deepen the law enforcers’ unimpressive run of form.
Again, APR did the unthinkable by coming from 2-0 down to beat a well-drilled Mukura Victory Sports team 4-2. Three of the army side’s goals were scored in the second half.
Such results show that teams are developing character and they tend to fight till the last second of the game.
Also READ: Kwitonda scores thunderbolt in APR comeback against Mukura
Kwitonda is back...with a screamer!
Alain Kwitonda Bacca has played cameo roles this season with his major contribution being a fine goal that he scored against Etincelles at Umuganda Stadium after receiving a pass from Richmond Lamptey which was surprisingly ruled offside.
The winger has been on the bench since and sometimes could barely make it in Darko Novic’s 18-man squad on match day.
Kwitonda had his chance again against Mukura as he came on in the second half. He seized the opportunity and scored what could become a goals of the season contender as he helped APR FC complete a 4-2 turnaround win against the Huye-based side.
Novic has since admitted that the Rwanda international deserves playing time as he is ‘seriously’ doing well during training sessions.
ALSO READ: Ngagne hits brace as Rayon edge AS Kigali
Boateng, the man of big occasions
Mukura VS’ new signing Boateng Mensah Agyenim is really proving to be the man for the big occasions so far this season.
The Ghanaian striker has netted five goals so far and three of them came against the top teams. He missed the game with AS Kigali through accumulated yellow cards, but came back to score against Police FC in Huye. He then netted a superb finish against Gorilla FC in Kigali before scoring once against APR after stealing the ball from Clement Niyigena.
The striker joined Rwandan league after finishing as the second top scorer in the Ghana Premier League with 14 goals last season. He also scored four goals as Dreams FC reached the CAF Confederation Cup semifinals.
He is now living up to expectations at new club Mukura VS.
Can he score against league leaders Rayon Sports when the league resumes after the international break? Rendezvous is on January 11, 2025.
Police FC crisis going from bad to worse
The law enforcers were rated as genuine pre-tournament title contenders this season after spending huge sums of money on the transfer market in June. But the on-pitch performance is showing otherwise.
Police sit 5th on the table with 20 points, 13 points behind table toppers Rayon. They registered five wins, draws and three defeats in the course of 13 league games.
Police FC’s problem seems to cut across but their defensive midfield frailties have been glaring. They don't have any strong ball winning midfield anchor and this always puts pressure on their defense which conceded 9 goals.
Moreover, injuries haven't helped the team. Their striker Peter Agblevor got injured again during the game against Bugesera and he will spend a couple of months on the sidelines.
Furthermore, many of the players look to be very complacent. Police create decent chances but finishing has been a major problem. Time may not be on their side and they have to get their acts together or the race for the league title is getting out of their hands.
Ngagne taking Rwandan league by storm
The Senegalese striker leads the league’s scoring charts with 8 goals and he has been instrumental to Rayon Sports’ fortunes as they lead the league table with 33 points.
Ngagne, 25, adapted quickly to the Rwandan league after his move from Czech side Pribram in July and he is having a good season so far.