The weekend of January 12-13, 2025, will go down in Rwandan football history as one when two local giants—APR FC and Rayon Sports—were stunned by two underdogs, Mukura VS and Amagaju FC, to turn Huye town yellow, a color which is common on the pair's home shirts. In fact, only a few or none had predicted that the two fixtures, held at Huye Stadium, would see both Rayon and APR return to Kigali empty handed. We all saw it coming. The strangest thing is that, after Mukura shocked Rayon Sports to bring their 14-game unbeaten run to an end on Saturday, January 11, their rivals APR thought they would capitalize on the slip up with a win over Amagaju FC the following day to close the gap at the top by just two points. However, to the traveling fans’ surprise, the result went the other way round as the army side suffered a major setback in shock 1-0 loss to Amagaju. Mukura and Amagaju not only got fans in Huye town cheering but they also taught the big guns a bitter soccer lesson to close the first round of Rwanda Premier League campaign in style. Euphoric Atmosphere Times Sport’s football writer Edmund Okai Gyimah arrived in Huye on Friday, January 10, around midday. The Rayon Sports fever had already engulfed the town ahead of Saturday’s clash against Mukura VS. Most guest houses in the town had already been booked by fans who had traveled across the length and breadth of the country. As usual, the majority were Rayon fans. Some got to Huye even as early as Wednesday. On the match day, the fans were all over blowing their vuvuzela and whistles. The sizable Mukura Victory fans were also not left out. Amidst torrential rains for a few hours to kick-off, the Stadium was almost full. The atmosphere was lit and one could feel the football spirit. Traveling fans looked much more confident as they hoped to see their team finish the first round of the league with yet another win over Mukura regardless the fact that the latter was playing at home. And it was a ‘home sweet home’ feeling for both players and fans as they broke Robertinho and his men’s hearts with a stunning 2-1 win. Mukura not only ended Rayon’s unbeaten run but also gave them a reality check before the league resumes in the second round. The visitors—from players, fans and members of club management—were all looking so down, with little hope that their rivals APR FC would waste such a golden opportunity to reduce the point gap between them. And, yes, Rayon’s pain promised to be a big gain for Darko Novic and his players who went into Sunday’s clash against Amagaju with nothing in their mind but three points. Little did they know that the Nyamagabe-based side had a plan to hurt them harder. The did so, when Eduard Ndayishimiye scored the only goal of the game in the 56th minute. APR FC did all they could to even the scores and salvage at least a point, all in vain. And the result? 1-0 for Amars Niyongabo’s side. Surely, Mukura VS and Amagaju FC painted Huye Stadium yellow the entire weekend. ALSO READ: Ndayishimiye nets winner as Amagaju FC stun APR FC in Huye Quality football If you asked me, I would say that the standard of Mukura vs Rayon game was far better than that of the 1000 Hills derby (between APR and Rayon Sports) we witnessed at Amahoro Stadium two months ago. Both teams played quality football and the game was laced with superb goals. Jordan Dimbumba's stunning volley outside the box in the 39th minute would contest for a prize for the best goal of the season. APR and Rayon aren’t invincible Rayon had gone 14 games without a defeat while APR would technically have the same unbeaten run had not forfeited their game against Gorilla FC as a result of violating the existing player quota rule. Mukura dominated the game against a Rayon side which is normally used to playing with superior ball possession. Striker Fall Ngagne was stripped of his terror by Mukura defender Abdul Jalilu. He only benefited from a penalty in the 53rd minute after Chris Rushema had pulled down substitute Aziz Bassane. ALSO READ: Mukura Victory Sports ports end Rayon's unbeaten run In fact, few thought Rayon would lose at Huye considering the fact that they have been in top form this season. For APR, they were playing well from the very beginning and created decent chances in the long run until they were punished by Ndayishimiye as Amagaju recorded a famous victory over the Rwandan champions. It was Amagaju’s first ever victory over APR in their history. Player bonus and determination They say money can change everything. It is said that Mukura VS and Amagaju FC players were promised bonuses in excess of Rwf 200,000 by their respective administration and mayors. On match day, the bonus alone was a big morale booster for the players as they fought like wounded lions. They played with so much determination and went on to win their respective games. We are talking about the same teams which couldn't beat the likes of Rutsiro and Muhazi United respectively in the first round of the league. Title race is wide open Rayon Sports (36) are leading APR (31) at the top of the table by five points. There are 15 more games left to play and the likes of AS Kigali, Police, Rutsiro, Gorilla, Mukura, Gasogi and Amagaju have the tendency to cause surprising shocks going forward. The second round has a lot in store yet the title race looks wide open for the top two teams. Rayon are chasing their first league title since 2016 while APR FC are after what would be their sixth straight title.
