Kitara put six past Heroes, Villa held

StarTimes Uganda Premier League

Results, Friday, December 6, 2024

Kitara 6-0 Mbale Heroes

SC Villa 1-1 Lugazi

Kitara are out of the relegation zone – just – after putting up a scoring clinic in the 6-0 drubbing of visiting Mbale Heroes in Hoima on Friday.

The Royals thrashed the Surgeons on the same day StarTimes Uganda Premier League newcomers, Lugazi, held defending champions, SC Villa, to a 1-1 draw at Wankulukuku.

Fred Amaku and Jude Ssemugabi each helped themselves to a brace, with George Senkaaba and Marvin Nyanzi scoring Kitara’s other goals.

Kitara’s comprehensive victory is only the Royals’ third in 11 matches and second at home in Butema. It moves them to 11 points and just a place out of the drop zone.

Their day’s victims, Mbale Heroes, are two places and three points below them in second from bottom.

Having recovered from a labourious start to the campaign, in which they won only one match in the first eight, Kitara have now beaten UPDF 4-0, drawn goalless at Vipers SC, and now this 6-0 pummeling of Mbale.

Flurry of goals

The Hoima side took the lead from the penalty spot through Amaku in the 27th minute before Senkaaba’s 42nd minute goal off a Kabon Living pass sent the match into the break with Kitara 2-0 up.

Heroes coach, Asaph Mwebaze, will have told his players the importance of keeping it tight as they looked to chase the game in the second half.

But they hardly held as they conceded the third as soon as they walked out of the changing room, Ssemugabi, who replaced Senkaaba, netting his first in the 46th minute.

Amaku then completed his brace three minutes to the hour. At this point, only damage limitation mattered for Mbale.

But they were still disarrayed enough to ship in two more, Nyanzi – who came on for Amaku – joining the scoring on 73 minutes.

Man of the Match, Ssemugabi, completed his brace with Kitara’s sixth four minutes to full time, helping home substitute Patrick Kaddu’s pass.

Villa checked

While goals were raining in Hoima, it was a tight affair at Wankulukuku, where Charles Lwanga’s 14th minute opener had seemed to have put Villa on a winning trajectory. 

But Lugazi hit back through Abdul Kalanzi to secure the visitors’ sixth draw of the campaign and their 12th point in 11 matches. 

Villa came into this match confident having collected 13 of their 14 points from home, but Lugazi had other ideas.

The Jogoos are now eighth on 15 points, eight behind leaders, NEC, and just two ahead of Lugazi down in 11th. Matchday 11 continues on Saturday.