Police FC were back to winning ways in the Rwanda Premier League as two second half goals from Henry Msanga and Elijah Ani powered them to a 2-0 win over Gasogi United at Kigali Pele Stadium on Friday, December 27. The law enforcers have been inconsistent recently, winning just once in their previous six matches. The win brought a sigh of relief on coach Vincent Mashami who has been under immense pressure due to a string of poor form. Police started the game brightly as they made inroads into Gasogi’s vital area. Skipper Muhadjiri Hakizimana found Elijah Ani with a fine ball in the 12th minute but the striker's shot sailed off target to the delight of the visitors’ bench. Gasogi gradually warmed themselves into the game and they were so direct as they initiated most of their attacks through the midfield. Muderi Akbar dictated the pace of the game as Gasogi seized the midfield zone. They stringed a couple of decent passes together but poor finishing proved costly as they missed a host of scoring opportunities. Police FC defender Issah Yakubu saw his header from a Muhadjiri corner going off target in the 20th minute. Muhadjiri again found space in midfield and sent in a delightful ball to the path of Ani but the striker was slow to react as the danger was cleared in the 35th minute. ALSO READ: Bizimana strikes late as Bugesera FC holds Police in Kigali Police continued to pile more pressure on Gasogi pushing to break the deadlock. Winger Chukwuma Odili cut in from the left in the 40th minute but saw his deflected shot missing the target by inches. Gasogi also showed aggression in attack when Danny Ndikumana found his way in the Police penalty box in the 42nd minute before David Chimeze stripped the ball off this foot as he tried to fire a shot into Police FC’s net for an opening goal. The first half ended with the scores at 0-0. Mashami bought on Eric Nsabimana for Eric Niyonsenga in the 46th minute as he sought to strengthen the midfield. Police had a glorious chance to open the scoring in the 47th minute but Henry Msanga blasted his effort over the bar under no pressure at the edge of Gasogi United’s penalty box. The substitution seemed to have ignited the fire power of Police FC who started to dominate the game as they pinned Gasogi to their own half. After minutes of attacking pressing, Msanga finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute through a fabulous strike. He majestically controlled the ball outside the Gasogi box before hitting a screamer past goalkeeper Ibrahima Daouda for the opener. Gasogi had since dominated possession as they looked to equalise. Left-back Jean De Dieu Udahemuka latched onto a long ball from Daouda and hit a ferocious drive which hit the crossbar in the 81st minute to the relief of Mashami and Police FC. Two minutes later, Police scored their second goal in the 83rd minute after Elijah Ani twisted and turned his marker before placing the ball on the left side of post to give Police a 2-0 lead. The final seven minutes of the game saw Gasogi defending as they barely moved forward. The game ended with Police leading 2-0. With the win, Police have now moved to third place on the table standings with 23 points, leapfrogging both Gorilla FC and AS Kigali who also have 23 points each. The trio is separated by goal difference but AS Kigali have played one game less. Police close their first round on January 4 when they face league leaders Rayon Sports at Kigali Pele Stadium.
