Rivers dent KCCA flow

Awful start. Mutebi watched his team give away two early goals. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

  • Fredrick Obomate. The striker managed to get ahead of Timothy Awany before sliding in the second as the hosts threatened to run away with the game.
  • They return to action early next month with a must win fixture against Fus Rabat.

KAMPALA. KCCA manager Mike Mutebi has often described his team’s Caf Confederation Cup exploits as a learning curve for his relatively inexperienced side.
And in a group where progression is likely to go down to who picks points away from home, KCCA, league and cup domestic champions needed to show maturity for a positive result in Nigeria.
Instead they were made to pay for a nervous opening 15 minute showing, to succumb to a 2-1 loss to host side Rivers’ United on a wet pitch at the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt yesterday.

The result, their second loss in four games means they are now out of the two qualification places with two matches left in the race to reach the quarterfinal stage of Africa’s second most glorious club competition. This was in spite of a late fight back given a lifeline when Geoffrey Sserunkuma thumped home from Derrick Nsibambi’s knock down following a Muzamir Mutyaba freekick.
The goal in first half stoppage-time, seemed to give KCCA hope with Nsibambi also unlucky not get the equalizer six minutes from time, toe-poking wide after getting ahead of Rivers goalkeeper Abiodun Akande.
They went a goal down in the opening minute when a header was flicked past a static Denis Okot from a corner.

Striker Bernard Ovoke connected home ahead of Habib Kavuma and Douglas Kisembo in KCCA goal. The home side then doubled their lead on 15 minutes when Okot sliced a clearance in the path of Ovoke whose header released Fredrick Obomate. The striker managed to get ahead of Timothy Awany before sliding in the second as the hosts threatened to run away with the game.
They return to action early next month with a must win fixture against Fus Rabat.