Davis Kasirye scored a historic hattrick to inspire Rayon Sports to an emphatic victory against their biggest archrivals APR 4-0 in front of a fully packed Amahoro Stadium on Tuesday in a tense Rwanda Premier League encounter.

The Ugandan striker opened his account in the eighth minute with a brilliant header from a Djabel Manishimwe cross on the left wing past APR veteran goalkeeper Jean Claude Ndoli to give Masud Djuma’s side an early lead.

APR sought to recollect themselves with the usual dominance in ball possession and came close to equalizing when striker Issa Bigirimana beat the Blues defense but he missed a seater with only goalkeeper Eric Ndayishimiye to beat.

A breath-taking combination that started with Malian striker Ismaila Diarra in midfield picking out teenage sensation Manishimwe who then found Kasirye at the edge of the box saw the latter position himself before sending a long range shot past the hapless Ndoli to double his account on the day in the 31st minute.

APR looked shuttered and low on confidence thereafter but stand-in captain Jean Claude Iranzi provided a spark in midfield but APR’s strike force including Michel Ndahinduka and Bigirimana did not do much to trouble the Rayon Sport defense.

Tunisian coach Nizar Khanfir introduced Tumaine Ntamuhanga for Patrick Sibomana at the beginning of the second half but no sooner had he stepped on the pitch than the prolific Diarra put the ball past Ndoli to give the Blues a comfortable 3-0 lead as APR’s fears started to become a reality.

Ntamuhanga could have pulled one back after Iranzi released him but Rayon Sport’s Fiston Munezero was very alert in the box as he cleared the effort.

APR’s efforts to launch a comeback were futile as Rayon Sports who were backed by majority of the fans in the stadium grew into the game every minute of the game.

Diarra could have netted his second when he made a spirited run into the box, beat the entire APR defense before rounding Ndoli but his attempt went inches off target much to the dismay of the Rayon Sports fans who wanted more goals.

Kasirye granted their wish in the 88th minute when he slotted home for his hattrick to write history as the first player ever to score a hat-trick against APR in the biggest game in Rwandan football since the latter’s inception in 1993.

APR defeated Rayon Sports 4-0 in March 2013 which stood as the biggest win in the derby with Rayon Sports having defeated APR 4-1 in 2002.

The win closes the gap at the top of the table as Rayon Sports are now within one point of APR who have 46 points but the Blues have a game in hand against a revamped Etincelles side.

Elsewhere, Marines and Espoir settled for a 1-1 draw while Bugesera edged Rwamagana City 1-0. A Rodrigue Murengezi lone strike earned an important victory for AS Kigali against the stubborn Kiyovu side.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com