Vital’O stun APR

AL FASHER. Burundian champions Vital’O have won the 2013 Cecafa Kagame Club Championship title for the first time in their history after a superb 2-0 win over three-time winners APR in an exciting final played on Monday evening in North Darfur.Top scorer Tambwe Amissi broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute with a bullet header past goalkeeper Jean-Claude Ndoli. The striker claimed the golden boot with six goals in the two-week long tournament.Two minutes later, impressive midfielder Christian Mbirizi powered in another header off D’amour Nkurunziza’s corner kick to register the second goal for Gilbert ‘Yaound’ Kanyankole’s outfit.APR worked hard to get back into the game but Vital’O defense marshaled by Gilbert Kaze, Iddi Jumapili and Michel Girukwishaka and impressive saves from goalkeeper Methode Bipfubusa denied them. Coach Andreas Spier made early replacements when Yannick Mukunzi came on for Ismail Nshuyiyamagara, Nova Bayama for Albert Ngabo and Barnabe Mubumbyi for Tumaine Ntamuhanga but paid off little as Vital’O midfielders asserted near total authority for most of the game.The absence of suspended duo of Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza and Eric Nsabimana affected APR’s rhythm in the middle of the pack where most of the battle was centered.It is the fourth time that APR have reached the finals but lost the title on a foreign soil. In 1996, APR lost the title to Tanzanian champions Simba in Dar es Salaam after a 2-1 win. In 2000, they reached the final and lost 3-0 to Tusker FC of Kenya in Nairobi. Again in 2005, APR reached the final in Mwanza but lost to Uganda’s SC Villa 3-0.The army side have emerged champions three times at home in 2004, 2007 and 2010, only archrivals Rayon Sports and Atraco [defunct] remain the only Rwandan clubs to have won the title away.HistoryVital’O, who eliminated APR in the Africa Champions League this year have written a new chapter in the tournament’s long history by becoming the first Burundian club to win the Cecafa Cup title after joining the block in 1994.In the play-off match, hosts El Merreikh Al Fasher claimed the second runner-up spot after stunning Rayon Sports 1-0.Midfielder Suliman Mubarak scored the lone goal of the game with a superb finish after rounding up goalie Gerard Bikorimana in 76th minute.Vital’O won the title and $30,000 in cash prize, while first and second runner-ups APR and El Merreikh took $20,000 and $10,000 respectively.