{"id":40889,"date":"2023-05-01T17:21:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T17:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/espoir-relegated-as-rayon-climb-to-second"},"modified":"2023-05-01T18:24:54","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T18:24:54","slug":"espoir-relegated-as-rayon-climb-to-second","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/espoir-relegated-as-rayon-climb-to-second","title":{"rendered":"Espoir relegated as Rayon climb to second"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Espoir FC have been relegated to the second division after 12 years in the top flight.<\/p>\n

The Rusizi-based waved goodbye to the Rwanda Premier League after losing 2-1 at home to title chasers Rayon Sports on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The victory moved the Blues to second on the table with 55 points and trailing league leaders Kiyovu by two points.<\/p>\n

The game started brightly for Rayon who looked to be the better side from the onset.<\/p>\n

Their front three of Musa Essenu, Leandre Onana and Arsene Tuyisenge gave the Espoir defenders a tough time with their good interpositional play.<\/p>\n

Tuyisenge who was making his first start for Rayon in many games shot them ahead with a superb finish after just three minutes of the game.<\/p>\n

The homeside were clearly not up to the task as the early goal also seemed to have unsettled them. They chased the game with Rayon firmly in the driving seat.<\/p>\n

Espoir also managed to create some decent chances but Yussuf Saaka and Nkoto Karim who were showing glimpses of individual brilliance missed them.<\/p>\n

The pair went to the half time break with Rayon leading the game.<\/p>\n

The visitors continued the onslaught in the second half as they bombarded the Espoir defence with a series of attacks.<\/p>\n

They had an infringement in the Espoir penalty box in the 53rd minute. The referee whistled for a spot kick and Rayon leading attacker Leandre Onana stepped up and beautifully sent the home side\u2019s goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 2-0.<\/p>\n

Espoir decided to retreat back to their shells as they soaked the pressure and left Yussuf Saaka upfront alone.<\/p>\n

Blues\u2019 back four made up of Elie Ganijuru, Abdul Rwatubyaye, Samuel Ndizeye and Felicien Nkurunziza had it relatively easy dealing with Saaka as they held him at bay.<\/p>\n

Saaka’s perseverance and persistence, however, finally paid off in the 91st minute as he netted a consolation for Espoir with the game ending 2-1 in favor of Rayon,<\/p>\n

Other Games<\/b><\/p>\n

Sunrise FC defeated Musanze FC 3-1 at Nyagatare Stadium. Pius Wangi gave Sunrise the lead in the 11th minute before Yasser Arafat Tuyisenge equalized for the visitors.<\/p>\n

Samson Babuwa then made it 2-1 for the home side in the 55th minute before Yafesi Mubiru scored the third in the 62nd minute to seal a convincing victory for the Nyagatare-base club.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere at the Bugesera Stadium in an early kick off, relegation-threatened Rutsiro FC shockingly beat Gorilla FC 5-1. Jean Claude Nizeyimana hit a brace while Mumbere Malekidogo, Pacifique Iradukunda and Olivier Bandu were also on the scoresheet to give the visitors the much-needed win.<\/p>\n

Marines FC also beat Gasogi 2-0 to increase their chances of staying in the topflight division next season thanks to goals from Thaiba Mbonyumwami and Olivier Usabimana while Rwamagana City and Bugesera settled for a goalless draw at Ngoma Stadium.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Espoir FC have been relegated to the second division after 12 years in the top flight. The Rusizi-based waved goodbye to the Rwanda Premier League after losing 2-1 at home to title chasers Rayon Sports on Sunday. The victory moved the Blues to second on the table with 55 points and trailing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":40888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[760,763,758],"class_list":["post-40889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-rwanda","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nEspoir relegated as Rayon climb to second - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Espoir FC have been relegated to the second division after 12 years in the top flight. 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