Burundian forward Edouard Ndayishimiye was the hero of the day as his solitary second half strike earned Amagaju FC three important points after a stunning 1-0 win over APR FC at Huye Stadium on Sunday, January 12. The result was a big blow for the army side which failed to close the gap at the top of the Rwanda Premier League table after league leaders Rayon Sports lost 2-1 on the same ground at the hands of Mukura VS on Saturday. APR coach Darko Novic handed Seidu Dauda a starting role for the first time since the Ghanaian midfielder fully recovered from illness which kept him on the sidelines for the past two months. Yunusu Nshimiyimana was also placed in an unfamiliar right-back position which is normally occupied by Gilbert Byiringiro. ALSO READ: Amagaju'sCiza optimistic ahead of APR clash It is a game that the defending champions will rue various missed chances that could have turned the result around. Arsene Tuyisenge missed a clear chance to put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute. Bosco Ruboneka played the forward through, only for him to fumble as Amagaju shot stopper Clement Twagirumukiza saved the danger. Amagaju, on the other hand, soaked the pressure and sat deep. They tried to catch APR on the break a couple of times using the pace of their star of the day Ndayishimiye and his attacking partner Seraphin Useni Ciza. They created some decent chances but the APR back four of Claude Niyomugabo, Yunusu Nshimiyimana, Aliou Souane and Clement Niyigena were resolute as they thwarted most of their efforts. After the first half ended goalless, Amagaju started using their wingers to great effects as they pushed to break the deadlock. They capitalized on Nshimiyimana’s slow pace and made his area an easy passage. Their pressing paid dividends when Ndayishimiye opened the scoring in the 55th minute. Jean Claude Dusabe beat Nshimiyimana and found Cyrille Sebagenzi with a nice pass; he then dummied and played a beautiful one-two with Mapoli Yekini before whipping in a cross for Ndayishimiye to make a well-times finish and put his side ahead. The lead boosted Amagaju’s confidence as they hoped to bag more goals, motivated by their home, though modest, crowd. They put APR under pressure but failed to add up the tally. APR FC were short of attacking solutions, with Tuyisenge continuing to lead the line ahead of Mamadou Sy who started on the bench again. And it affected the team offensively. They could barely show signs of pulling to the scores even till fulltime. The win moved Amagaju FC to eighth place with 21 points. Rayon Sports maintained their five-points lead at the top of the table at the end of the league first round while APR FC stay in second place with 31 points.
