Rwanda Patriotic Army Football Club (APR FC), were crowned champions of the 2020/21 Rwanda National football league after thrashing Rutsiro FC 6-0 at the Huye Stadium on Friday, to win their record-extending 19th league title in the club’s history.
This means APR will represent Rwanda in the 2021-22 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, while AS Kigali, which finished second on the table, will play in next season’s TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup.
According to reports from Kigali, Head coach Adil Mohamed Erradi’s boys were level on points with AS Kigali until striker Yannick Bizimana scored in the 25 minutes in the match against Rutsiro.
Bizimana’s goal gave the army side the lead, before he added his second in the 39th minute to see his side going into the half-time in control of the game.
Yves Mugunga scored the third goal for APR four minutes into the second half, before an own goal from Rutsiro’s Jean Pierre Maombi and strikes from Lague Byiringiro and Dieudonne Ndayishimiye were enough to ensure the army side ended the league season unbeaten for the second time in a row, having recorded 12 wins and a draw.
The win ended AS Kigali’s hopes to win their first league title despite beating Police FC 2-0, thanks to goals from league top scorer Shaban Hussein Tschabalala and Fiston Nkinzingabo.
The two sides ended the league level on the table with 19 points apiece, with the City of Kigali falling eight goals shy compared to APR’s goal difference.
Elsewhere, a 3-1 win for Espoir FC over underperforming club Rayon Sports at Bugesera Stadium saw the Rusizi-based side end the league campaign third on the table with 10 points while Police remained fourth despite the defeat against AS Kigali.
APR FC were crowned champions in a ceremony that was held under strict preventive guidelines to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, as only club captain, Thierry Manzi, his teammates and the club’s technical staff, led by head coach, Adil Mohammed Erradi, were seen celebrating the trophy. (PANA/NAN)