CECAFA Kagame Cup 2019
Rayon Sport 1-2 KCCA FC
Kigali Regional Stadium, Kigali
Tuesday, 16-07-2019
KIGALI – Mustafa Kizza and Jackson Nunda struck either side of Herve Rugwiro’s goal to ensure KCCA FC’s dream of winning a second Cecafa Kagame Cup remains on course as the Ugandan champions booked their place in the semi finals.
In a highly billed encounter at Kigali Regional Stadium, the Kasasiro Boys lived up to their pre-match talks of not being fazed by local support for their opponents.
It was 33 minutes of a pulsating end to end encounter that kept both sets of defenders on their toes before Kizza calmly collected Allan Okello’s pass with deft control before cooling slotting into the the back of the net to silence the stadium.
Before that goal, both sides had threatened to take the lead with Okello guilty of shooting wide from a glorious chances yards from goal.
At the other end, Charles Lukwago was called in to action to deny Rayon’s Iradukunda.
However, taking the lead in the nail-biting encounter did little to settle the tempos of the game as the Blues of Rwanda continued to press relentlessly.
Their sweat was finally rewarded two minutes after restart with Rugwiro drawing the Rwandan giants level.
The stadium erupted and Mike Mutebi, a tactician renowned for yearning for tougher opponents that can push his Kasasiro Boys to their talent’s best, must have been wryly pleased with the equaliser.
KCCA had a big fight on their hands for the next 40 minutes and Mutebi was the man to guide them.
True to his tact, he kept his boys composed as they played with more confidence and wore down their opponents.
It was on 33rd minute that Kizza had struck and it took another 33 minutes for Nunda to do the damage.
If Rayon wanted to emulate KCCA by striking again after 47 minutes like their first goal, the regulation time was certainly not going to allow such as football is played for 90 minutes.
The Blues, in an uncharacteristic white, found themselves frustrated as KCCA thwarted all the threats they threw at them.
Instead it was KCCA who found the back of the net again, but the referee cut short their celebration as a flag was waved up for offside to chalk off Allan Okello’s efforts.
Mutebi then introduced Mike Mutyaba for Saddam Juma and injured Ramathan Musa paved way for Filbert Obenchan, which shored the team’s game plan as they held on to win.
Mutebi praised his players for sticking to game plan and displaying a good account of their credentials, noting that the Ugandan champions were the better side and deserved to win.
“The game was watchable, we used the ball better than our opponents and my boys displayed a good performance,” Mutebi said, adding that he wants to win the tournament “beautifully.”
“Our focus is to go past the semi finals and win the tournament,” he said.
KCCA will face Azam of Tanzania, who defeated TP Mazembe of DR Congo 2-1 in the second quarter final.