Lubiri steals the crown from Kisenyi in cracker

After 40 minutes of an absorbing toe-to-toe battle in which neither side took a backward step, it was the unbeaten Crown who seized the chance to crack Kisenyi's resistance.

Crown Lubiri took a commanding 3-0 lead into the break, thanks to goals from Abdihamid Dahir and a brace from Muhammed Muhammad. However, Kisenyi showed resilience. Unfortunately, they scored an own goal early in the second half to extend Crown's advantage.

Shafiq Darir pulled one back for Kisenyi, but Muhammed Hassan quickly restored Crown's three-goal lead. With 13 minutes remaining, the game seemed over for Kisenyi, and matters worsened when they lost two players to red cards. Despite this, Nsereko scored another own goal to give Kisenyi a glimmer of hope.

Libyan international Ilyas Omran finally found the net for Kisenyi, and Julius Kasagga's late goal made it 5-6, setting up a thrilling finish. However, Crown held their nerve to secure their seventh win of the season.

“It's a process. I think we were brave in the big moments. We were both playing very well, I think we were lucky to come out victorious," Rijaal Dahir, the captain of Crown, said.

Asked about the outcome, Sulaiman Sekanyo, the head coach of Kisenyi said: "I expected a great game and that's what the fans got. There's a lot of hype and they [Crown] are in great form. I'm happy with my players' reaction and we'll build on that."

SPAKS' lack of experience exposed

Park, who dominated the 'Team of the Week' with two nominations of goalkeeper Brian Drileba and pivot Abbas Muluya with their coach Sula ‘Malouda' Matovu the best of the pick, beat debutants Busunju SPAKS 6-0 in a lopsided affair.

With a roster of mainly newcomers with little to no experience in futsal, it is likely that there will be growing pains for SPAKS.

SPAKS, after a disappointing opening loss to Busunju Clouds, showed early promise with victories over Lubaga Grameen and Edgars. However, subsequent defeats to Kabowa and Nansana, along with a draw against Kisenyi, highlighted their inconsistency.

A heavy 5-2 loss to league leaders Crown and a recent 6-0 defeat to Park further emphasised the challenges faced by a relatively inexperienced SPAKS team.

With former Aidenal captain Kenneth Kisiro being the only member of the team having truly experienced the gauntlet of the 5-a-side football, the loss was an eye-popping moment for a team that, while battling through inconsistent lineups, still has its eyes on being competitive this season.

“We don’t have that much experience on the team. All we can do is learn from it and learn that we need to get more physical. All we have to do is just stay together. We’re going to take it day by day for a better outcome,” head coach James Kaweesi said. 

Mengo impresses again

Elsewhere, Mengo’s impressive form continued with a 5-2 win over Kabowa.

Kabowa took a deserved lead after three minutes through Patrick Ssekandi, and it took Mengo twelve minutes to equalise through Farouk Tumwesigye. The game went into halftime tied at 1-1.

Upon resumption, Anthony Male gave Mengo the lead, but it was only temporary as Muhammad Ali Hamud levelled the matters. With fans getting nervous, Mengo took matters into their own hands, scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes through Ian Tugume, Male and Abdul Kharim Tebera.

"It was a tough encounter but we fought harder for the win," Tebera said. Action continues this weekend.

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Results

Edgar's 2-4 Kisugu

Mengo City 5-2 Kabowa

Nansana ASKA 8-4 QC Mbarara

Busunju SPAKS 0-6 Park

Kisenyi 5-6 Lubiri Crown

Lubaga Grameen 3-3 Kabuusu