A deflected effort from centre forward Charles Bbaale was all that Rayon Sports needed to defeat Gasogi United 1-0 at the Amahoro Stadium on Saturday, September 21. It was Gasogi’s first defeat of the 2024/25 Rwanda Premier League season, having won twice and drawn once in their previous three matches prior to the encounter. The game started on a bright note for both teams which exchanged incursions into the other's penalty area through the first five minutes of action. Gasogi were very swift in their build ups. Serge Kabanda missed a glorious chance in the 6th minute as he blasted his shot off target after Khadime Ndiaye had fumbled with a harmless aerial ball. The home side looked more dangerous on the break with Theodor Malipangou, Abdul Aziz Harerimana and new boy Dany Ndikumana as they covered acres of spaces in the Blues’ half. Rayon decided to soak the pressure and play on the counter. They used the pace of overlapping right back Fitina Ombrorenga and Bassane on the left to great effects. Malipangou, who was controlling the Gasogi midfield, fired a shot towards Rayon’s goal but it missed the target. Gasogi then had a penalty call for a foul on Dany Ndikumana inside the penalty box in the 30th minute but referee Samuel Uwikunda rejected it, a decision that left the players, and the coach alike, unimpressed. Kevin Muhire latched onto a through ball in midfield before being brought down by Mathan Doumbia at the edge of the box in the 40th minute. The Rayon Sports skipper fired his effort over the bar to the relief of the Gasogi’s bench. The first half ended in a barren draw though Gasogi looked the better side, considering a host of chances they created which would have resulted into goals. Coming back for the second half, Rayon began to pin Gasogi into their own half. Muhire found Hadji Iraguha with a delightful ball; the midfielder beautifully laid it for Charles Bbaale whose shot took a deflection of Collin Muhindo left goalkeeper Ibrahima Dauda without no solution to save the goal, only to see the ball going into his net for the opener in the 50th minute. Rayon again had the ball at the back of the net through Bassane’s header in the 52nd minute but the referee ruled it out for offside. Gasogi United suffered more misery when skipper Akbar Muderi was shown a straight red card for a cynical tackle on Aruna Madjaliwa in the 64th minute and, six minutes later, Robertinho brought on Richard Ndayishimiye for Olivier Niyonzima in an attempt to add more steel to his midfield. Gasogi effectively lost their momentum after going a man down, giving Rayon Sports a room to press them as they couldn't cope with the tempo of the game. Bbaale had a chance to make it 2-0 in the 80th minute but his strike lacked the needed power to beat goalkeeper Dauda. Rayon brought on Adama Bagayoko for Bassane and Fiston Ishimwe for Bbaale in the 90th minute as they pushed for the second goal but Gasogi remained resilient as they avoided to avoid conceding more goals even after the referee added four minutes of injury time. The game ended 1-0 in favor of Rayon Sports.
