Moment of truth

Cecafa/Kagame Cup tournament Semi-finals, today Azam vs. AS Vita, 1pmAPR vs. Yanga, 3pmREGIONAL soccer fans are in for yet another treat as three-time champions APR and Kagame Cup title-holders Yanga lock horns for the second time in the semi finals of the Cecafa/Kagame club championship, this afternoon in Dar es salaam, Tanzania.APR, who recently have won the Rwandan league and MTN Peace Cup title, go into the tie with one thing on their mind-revenge.The military side lost 0-2 to Yanga during their group stage clash but after seeing off favourites URA in the quarter final round, APR’s Dutch coach Ernie Brandts said the Rwandan giants can’t afford another loss today.“It is completely different to the first game. We have to think it is possible (to win) because they (Yanga) are not from another planet”.“Yanga is a good side, they luckily beat us in the group stage but we played all the football. We meet again in the semis and it will be our time to be happy,” Brandts told Tanzanian media yesterday.Brandts added that his team is in high spirits, looking forward to knocking the Jangwani Street team out of the regional tournament and go on to grab their maiden title on foreign soil.With Kabange Twite suspended, APR will rely on the creative display of defensive midfielder Jean Claude Iranzi who often ghosts in goal scoring positions as well as Hegman Ngoma, Lionnel St. Preux and Olivier Karekezi to get the win.However, APR’s backline should be cautious of Yanga’s on-form striker Said Bahanuz whom they gifted with a brace in their first clash. The Zanzibar-born striker is the second top scorer with five goals and stands out to be the key to Jangwani’s chances of retaining the title.Yanga’s coach Tom Saintfiet hopes to find a new strategy for beating APR.“They are a difficult team and I was praying hard URA wins. We beat them in the group stage and we have to find a new way of beating them in the semis. It is always difficult to beat a good team twice,” Saintfiet noted.The first semi final will see home club Azam battling DR Congolese AS Vita at 1pm. A John Bocco hattrick inspired Azam to a 3-1 hammering of last year’s Cecafa Kagame Cup finalists Simba in a highly entertaining second quarter final game after AS Vita had seen off Burundi’s Atletico on Tuesday.The final will be played on Saturday, with the winners receiving US$30,000 and the first and second runners-up pocketing US$20,000 and $10,000 respectively.

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Moment of truth