Ssekisambu comes back to haunt his former employers

Vipers players celebrate at Namboole on Friday. Photo by Ismail Kezaala

Kampala- SC Villa former striker, Erisa Ssekisambu, returned to haunt his ex-employers in the Azam Uganda Premier League (UPL) on Friday, scoring in Vipers 2-1 victory at Namboole.

William Wadri, who played his football with KCCA last season, scored the winner two minutes after recess before Dennis Kamanzi got a consolation for Villa.

The result moves the defending champions, Vipers, top of the log on 14 points, three ahead of KCCA. It keeps Villa on the proverbial ‘page two’ with eight points.

Villa went into the game with a poor record against coach Edward Golola’s side.

The 16-time record champions have beaten Vipers in the league just three times since the latter’s promotion in 2006, with Blues’ last victory coming six years ago.

Vipers had won five and drawn as many since 2010. If Antonio Flores’ Villa harboured ambitions of ending that rot on Friday, their old boy had other ideas.

The hosts actually started the better side, Vipers defender Shafiq Bakaki being caught in possession by Umar Kasumba, whose ferocious hit struck off the upright on nine minutes.

Vipers were shortly after off the hook again, Isaac Muleme crossing only for Kamanzi to miss a sitter.

They were to pay on Vipers first attack, skipper Nicholas Wadada crossing low from the right for Joseph Mpande inside the area.

With back-to-goal, Mpande laid it on for Wadri. Benefiting from Wadri’s dummy, Farouk Miya aimed for the top corner.

Villa goalkeeper Stephen Odong stretched, but could only punch it into Ssekisambu’s way, who headed in on 26 minutes.

Goalkeeper Samson Kirya, who strangely changed shirts with a ball boy before coming on, replaced the injured Odong at half time.

His first involvement was picking the ball from his net after Wadri excellently finished a move involving Miya and Mpande, just two minutes after recess.

Kamanzi pulled one back for Villa on 58 minutes, turning in Karim Ndugwa’s incisive ball from the right.

“The referee did not make it simpler for us,” said Villa coach Flores, “he called against us on all 50-50 decisions.

“But I’m happy with how we played. We created a lot of chances but we just could not put them away.”
His counterpart, Golola, later said: “It was an important victory because we beat our direct rivals for the title.”