KCCA escape Police raid to extend lead at summit

Tough evening: KCCA assistant coach Morley Byekwaso and his players were low after being dominated by Police at Lugogo. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO AND JOHN BATANUDDE

KAMPALA. Police raids and sporting events are words rarely used in the same sentence. But when the Police football team launched wave after wave of attacks in search of an equalizer against KCCA it was difficult to think of a more fitting description.
In the end they got just the one goal as the two teams played out a 1-all draw at Lugogo to extend KCCA’s lead to seven points over Vipers in the StarTimes Uganda Premier League (SUPL). Left wing back Mustafa Kizza gave KCCA a second minute lead with an exquisite freekick.
And when Police goalkeeper Davis Mutebi saved from Allan Okello at point blank range after the forward danced past Joseph Sentume, thoughts of KCCA’s 6-3 first round win must have resurfaced for many.
But Police held on and should have been at least three goals up by the time Juma Balinya scored his league leading 12th goal of the season.
The forward ran onto substitute Pius Kagwa’s through ball to lift the ball past Charles Lukwago.
The goal atoned for two bad Police misses from Basani Safi and the ineffective Edward Kiryowa who all failed to test Lukwago when inside the six yard box.
The result left Police eighth on the log with 28 points after 20 games.
At Wankulukuku, Express goalkeeper Mathias Muwanga gifted Maroons midfielder Solomon Walusimbi with a goal after he fumbled with an easy effort. It was not until Red Eagles coach George Ssimwogerere changed his earlier game plan, introducing experienced strikers Brian Umony and Tony Odur who were benched for midfielder Mubarak Nsubuga.
In the 82nd minute, Umony forced Maroons Sylvester Okello into committing a foul that led to Odur’s well converted penalty. “I’m satisfied with the performance of my team because we have played four games with a squad of 14 fit players.
“We knew Maroons would want to play a possessive game and we went for for a cautious approach that paid off,” Ssimwogerere told Daily Monitor of the result that left his team ninth with 25 points and Maroons 13th.
Elsewhere Shafik Kagimu and Dickens Okwi notched doubles as URA and Paidha Black Angels defeated Kirinya-Jinja and Nyamityobora with 2-0 score lines.