How URA buried Villa in grief

Yes, that grey helicopter flew over Wankulukuku stadium thrice on Saturday afternoon.

Many hoped it would land there to crown the StarTimes Uganda Premier League finale.  

The mood had been lit days prior – Tuesday to be exact. SC Villa’s 1-0 victory over Blacks Power felt like a minor tectonic force.

That’s the day the record league champions took a giant stride towards winning their first league title in 19 years.

They earned a two-point lead over Vipers and KCCA. Villa had 52 points. All three had stumbled over the final month of the league.

Knowing that task was down to beating URA to win the league, processions to Wankulukuku started way before the 3pm kick-off.

It was quite chaotic outside the stadium an hour to the game as fans fought to buy tickets that were priced at Shs20,000 ordinary and Shs50,000 VIP.

Inside was a sea of blue. All were anticipating a monumental fifth victory in the last 22 games over the Tax Collectors – surely Villa’s bogey side.

While the crowd was quite vociferous, you could touch the tension. Everyone was tense, perhaps the grass too.

Once referee Ali Sabila set the game in motion, all that tension and pressure was visible in the way Villa played – an avalanche of long balls.

In that first 45 minutes, Villa had only half chances against a URA side that showed little ambition in attack.

Okay, there was a tame Charles Bbaale shot that didn’t require goalkeeper Nafian Alionzi to move a muscle.

The hope was that coach Jackson Magera’s team would improve in the second stanza to win the game, the league and pocket Shs2m bonus.

Najib Fesali delivered the dreadful moment, heading in a free kick to give the visitors the lead. There was defeaning silence and not defiance.

You could hear a pin drop inside this stadium from miles away. Any funeral wouldn’t have matched this quiet.

The response came in the form of Travis Mutyaba, Ivan Serubiri and Seif Batte replacing the ineffective trio of Hakim Mutebi, Davis Sekajja and Frank Kalule.

Thereafter, Alionzi made a save from point black save off a Bbaale header. The rebound was blocked in the ensuing chaos. Mutyaba shot over the bar not long after.

The hope was gone. The helicopter flew over for the last time and delivered the trophy to St Mary’s Stadium Kitende, 11.5km away.

Vipers’ 5-0 rout of Busoga United was emphatic to complete a first successful title defence. For Villa, the count is now 20 years!