AS Kigali suffered another setback on Friday, February 24, as they let Etincelles come back from 2-0 down to record a 2-2 draw in feisty Rwanda Premier League week 21 tie held at Umuganda Stadium in Rubavu.
The Citizens took a commanding 2-0 lead through new signing Jibrine Abubakar Akuki and Jacques Tuyisenge before Fiacre Ntwari second half red card allowed Etincelles to bounce back to hold the visitors to a 2-2 hard-fought draw.
It took just nine minutes for Jibrine to give AS Kigali an early lead after he and his teammates had subjected the home side to intense pressure.
The early goal had an adverse effect on Etincelles as they totally looked disorganized nor could they string their passes together let alone move the ball to the AS Kigali vital area.
Andre Casa Mbungo’s men looked stable at the back with defender Thierry Manzi playing as the sweeper in the heart of defense.
The away side proved to be the better side and created a host of decent chances but failed to extend their lead before the half time whistle.
AS Kigali resumed the second half pushing more men forward and eventually scored the second goal in the 47th minute through a fantastic finish from Tuyisenge who bundled the ball into the net following a cross from Hussein Shaban.
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AS Kigali had their maximum points guaranteed until they were reduced to ten men after shot stopper Ntwari was sent off in the 55th minute after he handled the ball out of the penalty box to prevent a goal bound effort following a swift counter attack from Etincelles.
The home side took advantage of having an extra man to pile pressure on AS Kigali. A spectacular through ball was sent from midfield to Abdul Muniru who intelligently cut back before finding Moro Sumaila. The striker made no mistake as he fired into the net his 10th goal of the season in the 61st minute.
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The Ghanaian was once again involved in his side’s equalizer in the 69th minute as he found overlapping left-back Amani Rutayisire with a fantastic ball and the defender whipped in a cross for an unmarked Ibrahim Niyonsenga to head home to make it 2-2.
Mbungo devised a more defensive play in the last twenty minutes of the game as he left only Shabani Hussein on his own upfront.
Chances were difficult to come by the final fifteen minutes of the game as both teams held on to the 2-2 draw.