Champs KCCA lead but Vipers exude swagger

Vipers strikers Odur (L) and Brian Kakaire celebrate one of the goals on Tuesday. PHOTO BY I. KEZAALA

What you need to know:

Soccer. The league takes a two-week break to allow Cranes prepare for Comoros, a decision rarely popular with coaches. Fifa allows for clubs to release players for international duty at least five days to a sanctioned engagement.

KAMPALA. It is often difficult to ask for more of a team that enjoys 100 per cent start to a campaign.
KCCA find themselves in that privileged position having won their two Azam Uganda Premier League (UPL) opening matches to go into a two-week break top of the log. It might be just two matches but who wouldn’t want to top standings until September 6, when the league returns?
Yet, it has hardly been smooth sailing for manager Mike Mutebi’s KCCA, who had to dig deep to edge JMC Hippos 2-1 in the opener before digging even deeper to nick it 1-0 at Lweza on Tuesday, thanks to the hosts old boy Geoffrey Sserunkuma’s goal.

Back foot
Here, the defending champions had to grind it out with 10 men – just about all behind the ball - Mutebi having used up his substitutions by the time Isaac Muleme was withdrawn, injured on 65 minutes.
But it was more than that. KCCA had been suspect in defence and here, it took goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan’s acrobatic save to deny Juma Balinya in one of the Lweza’s onslaughts.
“We lost confidence after losing players to injury and we ended the game panicking,” admitted Morley Byekwaso, Mutebi’s assistant at KCCA, “We have a lot to work on as the league goes into the break. We have to defend better as a team.”

Vipers foray
While KCCA take bragging rights into the break, Abdallah Mubiru’s Vipers enter with swagger.
Having huffed and puffed in the 1-1 draw with Bright Stars, Vipers were in unforgiving mood at Nakivubo on Tuesday, pounding Police in the first 45 minutes like the cops had defied the Public Order Management Act (Poma).
Ibrahim Kayiwa was immaculate in his touches, runs and finishing as seen in Vipers second goal, which he scored, while Tony Odur impressed with two goals for a 3-0 half time lead before Musa Esenu completed Police’s detention after the break.

“Now we have fully taken it off,” claimed coach Mubiru, “We controlled the match like the way we had planned.”
SC Villa, Soana and Bright Stars also picked their first victories while Express preserved their unbeaten start with a 1-1 draw at Proline.

Asked whether the two-week break could hurt their momentum, Vipers coach, Mubiru, shrugged. “There is nothing to do about it. We’ll just train the players and condition them psychologically for the next ties.”

FIXTURES - MATCH DAY III
Tuesday, September 6
URA vs. Vipers SC
(Live Azam TV 4pm in Lugazi)
Bul vs. The Saints, Kakindu
Express vs. Onduparaka, Wankulukuku
KCCA vs. Soana, Lugogo
Bright Stars vs. Lweza, Matugga
K-Jinja SS vs. Sadolin Paints, Jinja
SC Villa vs. JMC Hippos, Namboole
Police vs. Proline, Kavumba
*All other games at 4.30pm

RESULTS
*Bright Stars 2-0 Onduparaka
*JMC Hippos 0-0 Kirinya-Jinja
*Lweza 0-1 KCCA
*Proline 1-1 Express
*Soana 3-1 The Saints
*Sadolin Paints 0-2 SC Villa
*Vipers SC 4-0 Police
*URA 1-1 Bul

UGANDA PREMIER LEAGUE

P W D LFAPts
KCCA 2200316
Vipers SC 2110514
Bright Stars2110314
Soana 2110314
SC Villa 2110204

Bul

Express

2

2

0

1

2

1

0

0

1

3

1

2

2

4

Proline 2020112
URA 2020112
Kirinya-Jinja 2020002
JMC Hippos 2011121
The Saints 2011131
Onduparaka 2011021
Sadolin Paints 2011021
Police 2011041
Lweza 2002130