Nambi, Kivumbi open Crested Cranes accounts

Viola Nambi and Ritah Kivumbi are returning to national team colours for the first time since 2013 as part of the national women’s football team Crested Cranes set to compete at the Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) that starts Saturday in Morocco.

The two forwards born three days apart were part of that famous national youth team squad that beat South Sudan 22-0 on aggregate in the 2014 U-20 Women World Cup qualifiers before they went abroad to seek greener pastures.

Nambi had a hattrick in the first leg 9-0 win in Juba while Kivumbi, like Hasifah Nassuna, scored a brace.

Hattrick heroines

The latter two joined Sandra Nabweteme in scoring hattricks at Nakivubo as Uganda completed the rout with a 13-0 home win.

The other names in that squad that ring a bell for many are Ruth Aturo, Tracy Jones Akiror, Favour Nambatya and Naume Nagadya.

However, while the rest have kept a huge following on the local scene either through national team or club football, Sweden-based Kivumbi and Austria-based Nambi have struggled to be available for the national team even when summoned in the past.

Smooth landing

Fortunately, they settled in seamlessly on return and have not lost their goal scoring boots and they proved in the 5-0 hiding that Uganda’s senior national team Crested Cranes handed to Zambia on Tuesday night in Marrakech as both teams put final touches to their Wafcon preps.

Kivumbi opened the floodgates in the 39th minute while Nambi scored twice; almost at the stroke of halftime and after the restart as the two opened their senior team accounts.

Uganda’s other goals were scored by Fauzia Najjemba and Fazila Ikwaput, who have been dependable goal getters over the years.

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