Mukandayisenga hits four as Rayon Sports WFC win maiden Peace Cup

Women Peace Cup final Tuesday, April 30 Rayon Sports WFC 4-0 Indahangarwa WFC Rayon Sports WFC won their first ever women’s Peace Cup trophy after seeing off Indahangarwa WFC in 4-0 thumping victory courtesy of an exquisite brilliance of forward Jeanine Mukandayisenga who scored all four goals in the final held at Kigali Pele Stadium on Tuesday. ALSO READ: Rayon, Indahangarwa protest against Peace Cup final lunch-time kickoff After avenging their 2022/23 Peace Cup final loss at the hands of AS Kigali by eliminating the same side in the semifinals on April 24, Rayon Sports WFC finally laid their hands on the Peace Cup title, largely thanks to Mukandayisenga’s magic performance in the final. The match kickoff delayed for approximately 25 minutes with a sparse crowd of less than 100 fans in the stadium, reflecting the controversy that surrounded the final kickoff time schedule. The Blues, from the very beginning, dominated the game from the midfield anchored by Alodie Kayitesi and Dorothea Mukeshimana. Striker Marry Chavinda came close to opening the scoring for Rayon in the sixth minute, but she missed a golden opportunity following a well-worked counterattack initiated by attacking partner Mukandayisenga. But Indahangarwa’s resistance barely took long as Mukandayisenga broke the deadlock after 13 minutes to give the Blues a 1-0 advantage. Just three minutes later, the forward dazzled with a virtuoso solo effort, beating four defenders from Indahangarwa before coolly tucking the ball past Gisele Iradukunda to double her the lead. A hint of a comeback fluttered as Indahangarwa's Benigne Uwase took a long-range shot in the 18thminute, but goalkeeper Francine Uwimana parried the ball away for a corner kick. Claude Rwaka’s ladies nearly scored their third goal in the 20th minute through a blistering counterattack, but Libellée Nibagwire's effort hit the post the opponent’s relief. Though Rayon Sports enjoyed an overwhelming share of possession in the first half, their attacking impetus faded as they began to control the game from midfield until the referee blew halftime whistle. Mukandayisenga completed her hat-trick just eight minutes into the second half, after she coolly finished a slick assist from Chavinda to make it 3-0. Rwaka introduced Alice Kalimba for Angelique Muhoza in the 64th minute, as he tried to add more strength in the midfield especially and at the same time fortify the backline to maintain his side’s stronghold. In a display of individual brilliance, Mukandayisenga shimmied past two Indahangarwa defenders and the goalkeeper in the 65th minute, before slotting home her fourth goal that put her team in total control of the game after taking a commanding 4-0 lead. Rayon had the game in the hands and it was a matter of time to celebrate their first Peace Cup. Rwaka made a series of substitutions, taking Alodie Kayitesi and Dorothea Mukeshimana out, after their exceptional exploits thanks to which they orchestrated much of Rayon's dominance throughout the game. Despite being 4-0 ahead, Rayon Sports continued to dominate the game while also avoiding conceding a goal until the full time whistle. The Peace Cup glory completed the club’s double, having won the league title on their debut season in women’s topflight football.