CECAFA Kagame Cup: Singida Black Stars and APR advance as group winners

Three teams including Rwandan giants APR FC secured passage to the semifinals of the CECAFA Kagame Cup on Monday as Group A and Group B completed their fixtures.

In Group A, Tanzania’s Singida Black Stars won the group after Horso Mwaku Malanga’s brilliant volley to give his club a 1-0 victory over Djiboutian club Garde-Côtes. The attacker who starred with DR Congo at the recently completed 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) arrived to volley in a cross from the right wing and the result was enough for Singida.

Singida qualified ahead of Kenya Police and Ethiopian Coffee in a fiercely contested Group A. Police defeated Coffee 2-0 but it was not enough to qualify the Kenyan champions for the semifinals as the best group runner-up. That honor went to Kinondoni MC, who played to a 1-1 draw with Group B winners APR.

Another outstanding volley arrived in the match with Clement Niyigena’s first half volley for the Rwandan champions. Erick Mwijage’s equalizer close to halftime was enough for KMC, who had an inferior goal difference to group winners APR but more points than Kenya Police to advance as the best group runner-up.

In the other game from Group B, a dead rubber, Zanzibar’s Mlandege defeated Burundian side Bumamuru to end the tournament on a positive note.

On Tuesday, a tight Group C will conclude with only the group winner set to reach the semifinals. Sudanese champions Al Hilal Omdurman are the favorites when they face South Sudan’s Kator FC but all four teams are tied on two points each after all four fixtures ended in draws.

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