A 63rd minute powerful header from centre back Clement Niyigena proved decisive as APR FC defeated city rivals AS Kigali in a cagey Rwanda Premier League week 11 game at Kigali Pele Stadium on Sunday, December 1. the army side have showed signs of recovery after a slow start to the league campaign, with their latest win bringing their five-match winless run against the Citizens to an end. The game started on a bright note for AS Kigali as they had their first corner kick of the game after four minutes of action. Frank Onyeabor flicked Janvier Benedata's delivery but the ball was cleared by Aliou Souane. APR organized themselves as they tried to dominate the midfield. The first shot on target of the game came from Ramadhan Niyibizi in the 10th minute but AS goalkeeper Adolphe Hakizimana saved it comfortably. AS Kigali were swift as they tried to initiate an attack in the 25th minute after dominating possession. Their attacking pressure left APR midfielder Frodouard Mugiraneza with no option but to bring down Aime Ntirushwa around the APR penalty box in the 25th minute but Benedata's scoring attempt from the resultant free kick didn’t materialize after the ball hit the wall. ALSO READ: Novic says not APR's fault fielding 7 foreign players vs Gorilla AS Kigali kept pushing to break the deadlock. Shaban ‘Tshabalala’ Hussein had to draw deep several times together with his attacking partner Emmanuel Okwi as they sought to use their footwork to break the APR back four. But the likes of Clement Niyigena and Yunusu Nshimiyimana managed to keep them at bay. Gilbert Mugisha created space for himself on the right in the 30th minute but his effort was blocked as the Citizens started a quick counter attack which was cleared by Niyigena. Both teams tried to move the ball around as getting to the penalty box seemed very difficult thanks to exceptional work from their right defense. It was all square at half time as neither side managed to find the back of the net. APR head coach Darko Novic made two changes before the start of the second half, bringing on Johnson Nwobodo Chidiebere and Jean Bosco Ruboneka for Ramadhan Niyibizi and Frodouard Mugiraneza respectively while AS Kigali also brought on Abubakari Saidi for Ghyslain Armel. AS Kigali nearly shot ahead in the 47th minute as a curling drive from Emmanuel Okwi narrowly missed target after a sumptuous pass from Tshabalala. APR FC took control of the game until they opened the scoring through Clement Niyigena in the 63rd minute. The centre back soared high above his marker to head home a corner kick from the right to make it 1-0. AS Kigali made their second substitution in the 70th minute as they brought on Didier Ndayishimiye for Tharcisse Nshimiyimana in an effort to strengthen their central midfield which can create Gilbert Byiringiro was played through beautifully by Dushimimana but saw his shot from the edge of the box missed target by inches. Novic bought on Arsene Tuyisenge for Mamadou Sy and Elia Kategaya for Olivier Dushimimana whereas AS Kigali also pulled out Aime Ntirushwa for Osee Iyabivuze all in the 75th minute. The visitors’ changes brought more urgency into their game as they pinned AS Kigali onto their own half. Novic and his APR side were dealt to a huge blow as Taddeo Lwanga got injured following a tussle with Abubakar Saidi in the 88th minute. The midfielder had to be treated on the field before being stretched off. This brought a scuffle between players from both sides and Arsene Tuyisenge and Franklin Onyeabor were both booked. After the 90 minutes had elapsed, there was five minutes of injury time added on. APR brought on Yunusu Nshimiyimana in the 93rd minute for Gilbert Mugisha to kill time as they held on to the 1-0 win which took them to 4th place with 18 points. Elsewhere, at Umuganda Stadium in Rubavu, visiting Kiyovu Sports registered a 0-0 draw with Rutsiro FC. APR’s next test will be against Police FC on Wednesday, November 4 at Kigali Pele Stadium. before squaring off with archrivals Rayon Sports on Saturday, November 7 at Amahoro Stadium.
