COACH JACKSON MAGERA HAILS KCCA FC'S MINDSET IN UPL FIGHT
KCCA FC returns to the top of the Uganda Premier League after a 2-1 victory over URA. Ivan Ahimbisibwe's brace secured the win, moving them level on 14 points with Police FC in a tight title race.
KCCA FC is back at the top of the StarTimes Uganda Premier League after a 2-1 win against URA at the MTN Omondi Stadium this Friday. Now, KCCA has 14 points, the same as Police FC, but Police still has a game to play.
KCCA FC coach Jackson Magera said URA wasn't an easy team.
“URA was a tough team. We played as one; every player gave it their all. We brought that energy to the game and kept control.”
“The team is getting better and more locked in each match. I think we can keep this up and keep fighting for the title.”
Ssebaduka got past his defender in the 17th minute and crossed the ball, which then went to Ivan Ahimbisibwe, who scored.
Ahimbisibwe scored again in the 41st minute and was named Man of the Match.
Joseph Ssemujju scored for URA in the 73rd minute, but they couldn't tie the game.
KCCA made some late changes, bringing in Emmanuel Anyama for Saidi Mayanja, Gavin Kizito for Ahimbisibwe, and Sharifu Ssengendo for Lazaro Muhindo.
Anyama almost scored twice but was stopped by the goalie and missed another shot. Even with late warnings for James Mubezi and Charles Lukwago, KCCA won.
Also on Friday, Mbarara City got their first win of the season, beating Buhimba United Saints 2-1 at Royals Park in Butema, Hoima.
Gaddafi Kacancu scored first in the 22nd minute, followed by Muhammad Kanyike two minutes later. Edson Agondeze scored for Buhimba in the 70th minute. Mbarara now has five points, while Buhimba still has nine.
On Thursday, SC Villa beat NEC 2-1 at FUFA Stadium. Najib Yiga scored early, Elvis Ngonde added another for Villa, and Daniel Shabene scored late in the game. Villa is now third with 13 points, while NEC is 12th with six points.
Kitara FC won against BUL 1-0 in Hoima, with Jimmy Kalema scoring in the 11th minute. BUL’s Tah Barni Kelvin was kicked out in the 28th minute.
On Saturday, Vipers SC moved to seventh after a 2-1 win over Maroons FC in Kitende.
Yunus Sentamu scored in the first minute, and then Usama Arafat scored in the eighth minute. Maroons scored early in the second half with a goal from Raymond Walugembe, but Vipers won.
HISTORY MADE: WHY UGANDA CRANES USED THREE GOALKEEPERS IN A SINGLE AFCON NIGHTMARE
Uganda’s AFCON run ends in a 3-1 defeat to Nigeria. The Cranes used three goalkeepers in a match that saw Salim Magoola sent off.
Uganda's run at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is over after a tough 3-1 loss to Nigeria. They didn't win a single game and are out after the group stage. Nigeria finished top of Group C with 9 points, while Uganda ended up last with only 1 point. Uganda had trouble scoring and let in the most goals, showing they still have a ways to go.
Nigeria came out strong, keeping Uganda pinned back. Their pressure paid off when Paul Onuachu scored in the 28th minute after a great pass from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, putting Nigeria ahead.
Uganda couldn't get into the game and barely created any chances. Karl Uche Ikpeazu was isolated up front. They wasted several set-piece opportunities, and captain Denis Onyango had to make a bunch of saves. He even needed treatment a few times before being subbed out at halftime.
Things got worse in the 57th minute when Onyango's replacement, Salim Jamal Magoola, got a red card for handling the ball outside the box while trying to stop Victor Osimhen. Uganda was down to ten men.
Nafian Alionzi came in, making Uganda the first team in the tournament to use three goalkeepers in one game.
Nigeria took advantage of the situation, and Raphael Onyedika scored twice in the 62nd and 66th minutes, making it 3-0. Game over for Uganda.
Uganda managed to pull one back in the 75th minute when Rogers Kassim Mato scored after a nice play with Allan Okello. It got the 11,545 fans excited, but Nigeria just slowed the game down and won easily.
With this win, Nigeria finished Group C undefeated. Uganda finished last, having let in the most goals in the group.
In the other game, Tanzania drew 1-1 with Tunisia. This meant that both teams, along with Nigeria, moved on. Tanzania made it to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.
Uganda lost 3-1 to Tunisia, drew 1-1 with Tanzania, and lost 3-1 to Nigeria. They're still waiting for their first-ever win in the AFCON finals.
For head coach Joseph Paul Put, the tournament had some good moments, but it also showed that Uganda needs to be more consistent, disciplined, and clinical to compete at the highest level.
TUESDAY PREVIEW: PAUL PUT PREPARES UGANDA FOR DECISIVE FINAL AFCON GROUP CLASH
Uganda must beat Nigeria to reach the AFCON 2025 knockouts. Discover Paul Put’s strategy and Jordan Obita’s call for belief in Fes.
Paul Put's team is heading to Stade de Fes, aiming for a win. This victory could get them into the round of 16 either as Group C's second-place team or as one of the top four third-place teams in the 24-team contest.
"We're up against a really good team," Put said. They were in the final at the last Cup of Nations, and they've won both matches here in Morocco.
We know how good the Nigerian players are. A lot of them play in big leagues in Europe, so we need to be super focused.
But we know what's at stake. It won't be easy; it will be tough. But if we put in the effort, anything's possible.
Tunisia is playing Tanzania in Rabat on Tuesday night. They beat Uganda 3-1 in their first game on December 23.
In their second game, Uganda drew 1-1 with Tanzania after Allan Okello missed a late penalty.
"We had a great chance to win," said Uganda defender Jordan Obita. But it didn't happen.
We can't be scared of going into the Nigeria game. We have to believe we can do something, and that's what we're going to do.
Uganda reached the last 16 in 2019 in Egypt—the first time the Africa Cup of Nations had 24 teams.
But the country's teams didn't make it into the competitions in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire after that.
In 2027, Uganda will host the event with Kenya and Uganda. Obita mentioned that the players in the Uganda team want to show what they're made of at the 2025 contest.
"Everyone back home in Uganda needs to see that we can compete with the best countries in the world," said the 32-year-old, who plays for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.
When we played Algeria in the World Cup qualifiers, it showed we can go head-to-head with top-tier countries and players.
Nigeria's coach, Eric Chelle, was secretive on Monday about who would be on his team Tuesday night.
"I'm keeping my plans to myself," said the 48-year-old former Mali player. A lot of players deserve a chance on this team.
I make hard choices for every match. I've got two or three teams in mind.