Zambia were better side, says Cubs coach Lule

KAMPALA- The national under-17 team coach Matia Lule has observed Zambia were superior opponents after they defeated Uganda Cubs 2-1 at Nakivubo on Saturday.
Having lost the first away leg 2-0, the Uganda Cubs needed to tame the Zambians 3-0 to progress to next year’s Africa Under-17 Africa Championship in Niger.

In front of over 5,000 home fans, the Cubs started brightly with holding midfielder Emmanuel Olinga’s left side free-kick striking the bar after five minutes.

A good run and shot wide of goalkeeper Danny Sikanyika’s right hand shot followed from Hassan Senyonjo before Shaban Muhammed’s scissor kick hit the side netting. The Zambians withstood the pressure and punished their hosts with captain Patson Daka, scorer of the opening goal in the first leg, beating goalkeeper Eric Kibowa with a low powerful drive midway through the first half.

The goal seemed to effectively end the game as a contest with the Nchanga Rangers striker getting his second of the evening with a volley on 65 minutes after being set up by Wayne Museba.

Despite some late pressure from the home team that included chances for Charles Ssebutinde who had his header saved by Sikanyika, the Cubs could only manage a consolation goal through a penalty. Left back Alex Komakech converted after Edward Chimfwembe was adjudged to have handled in the box. “They were the better team,” Cubs coach Lule said.

“We struggled to match their physical game over the two legs.” Zambia coach Chris Kaunda was happy his charges utilised their chances to perfection. “We knew we would exploit the spaces they left behind when they went forward and once the first goal went in, our work became easier,” Kaunda said.

After the first leg loss a fortnight ago, Uganda’s soccer authorities petitioned African body, Caf, claiming that Zambia had fielded overage players.
The three players whose age is being contested; Daka, Enock Mwepu and Changwe Kalale featured in Saturday’s game and Fufa will hope Caf rules in their favour and Zambia are ejected.

In 2010, Uganda beat Zambia in the same championship qualifiers but were banned for fielding an overage player. It’s only this year that Uganda were allowed back into the tournament. Having Zambia disqualified will be some kind of revenge.

Talking points from Cubs campaign

Although they were eliminated at the final hurdle by Zambia on Saturday, Uganda Cubs impressed many a stakeholder in their Africa Under-17 Championship qualification campaign.

By eliminating Seychelles and Rwanda in the earlier rounds, the Cubs showed they have a bright future if kept together. Below are some of talking points in their campaign.

Outstanding players
Defender Bashir Asiku was outstanding at the back. He exhibited maturity well beyond his 16 years. Frank ‘Zaga’ Tumwesigye shone in midfield with his ingenuity and awareness prompting rave reviews from opponents. Upfront, Arua Public School striker Muhammad Shaban who netted three times in six qualification games showed good all round play and good attitude.

Preparations
Fufa should be given credit for assembling a genuinely young side. Sometimes though, one feels the team seemed like a burden on the federation. The sight of a parent looking after the team (however generous they might be) as they searched for a decent meal late in the night prior to the trip to Rwanda without assistance from any federation official raised eyebrows.

The decision too, to have the team travel to Rwanda for the previous round by road even if the Shs340m promised by government had not arrived was an odd one as well.

Fans in love with the team
Impressed by their performance against Rwanda in the previous round, fans showered Cubs players with money. That 4-0 win was a master class and the fans loved it.
Against Zambia fans were excited by the rumour that Zambia had been ejected by Caf for using overage players.

[email protected]