Overview:

BUL’s perfect day out was complemented by KCCA seeing off SC Villa 2-0 to slightly deflate the latter’s title chances as the season clock ticked down

Wednesday Double Header Results

BUL 1-0 Vipers

KCCA 2-0 SC Villa 

Jerome Kirya wrote his own piece of history by becoming the first man to score at Namboole since the stadium, which had last hosted a match in November 2019, closed for renovations some three years ago.

The forward scored the winner in a well attended match as BUL beat Vipers SC 1-0 on Wednesday to seize the StarTimes Uganda Premier League title momentum.

Ecstasy

Kirya, scoring only his third goal of the season with just three matches left, latched onto Alex Kitata’s pinpoint cross from the left to beat Vipers goalkeeper Alfred Mudekereza low to his right.

The goal, coming in the 26th minute, was welcomed by jubilant celebrations not just from BUL fans, but from KCCA and SC Villa faithful, whose two teams later clashed in the day’s final game.

Actually, BUL could have gone ahead moments earlier but Mudekereza had to stretch highest to keep Kitata’s looping header out.

This was BUL’s 14th victory in 26 matches, moving them top of the log on 49 points with three matches left to play.

That’s exactly the same number of matches played and won by second-placed Kitara, who trail the new leaders by only a point.

KCCA see off Villa

However, while BUL seized the moment on the day, Vipers are not fully deflated.

The defending champions, Vipers, will go top on goal difference if they win their game in hand. 

Later under floodlights, coach Abdallah Mubiru’s KCCA took to the stage with delight, dispatching eternal city rivals 2-0.

A commanding brace from Pilsner Man of the Match Usama Arafat, with Herbert Achai and Joel Sserunjogi providing the assists, put the Jogoos to the sword, setting back their latter’s title chances.

Osama’s first, watched now by a near-full-capacity Namboole, was a beautiful header off an Achai cross, which left Villa goalkeeper Braddy Wokorach rooted to his spot, with eight minutes left to play.

The youngster completed his brace in the 89th minute after a catalogue of delicious passes that ended with Sserunjogi dummying for Arafat to dispatch home with his left boot.

Down to the wire

Yet, while Villa’s surge was impeded, KCCA – for all their struggles early in the season – can say they are also in with a fighting chance.

At 45 points and four matches left, all fourth-placed Villa need is to win their remaining games and hope everyone above them drop some points for the Jogoos to win their first league title since 2004.

On their part, KCCA will end on 54 points if they win all their remaining four games – enough to win the title if the five above them drop more points.

But again, that would be stretching hope too much. As it stands, it is clearly a four-horse race between leaders BUL, Kitara, Vipers and Villa. The run-in has all the hallmarks of a down-to-the-wire affair.