URA 1 APR 2, Mafunzo 1 (3) Yanga 1 (5)
Uganda’s representatives in this year’s Cecafa-Kagame Club Championship, URA Football club bowed out of the tournament after losing 2-1 to APR of Rwanda in the first quarter finals played on Monday afternoon at Dar es Salaam National stadium.
URA trailed 2-0 in the first half but pulled one back through Robert Ssentongo in the 57th minute. The team played a better game in the second half but it was too late for them to narrow the gap earlier created. Ssentongo nearly equalized for his side in the 77th minute when his left shot hit a goal post. In the 3rd minute of the added time, the same striker made another attempt but his efforts were frustrated by the Rwandese goalkeeper Ndoli Jean Claude when he punched the ball back into play.
Off the field, it however looked like URA had lost the game from the dressing room when the team’s line-up got alternated just minutes to kick off. “The players were diverted from the original focus when we chose to make last minute changes on the day’s line up” one concerned club official commented.
Initially, Owen Kasule who is still recovering from an injury was to start on bench with Osman Wejuli Farouk on the starting line-up. An hour before kickoff, an official list was submitted to Super Sport for preparations of the necessary graphics but as the referees inspected the teams, a change was effected with Kasule being inserted into the starting squad. The player looked unfit yet for this crucial game.
Club chairman, Ssekatawa was in Dar es Salaam to watch his first game but his presence too, did not carry any luck!
The team is expected to leave for home by road on Wednesday morning. Arrangements are however being made by the Ugandan FA to fly the two Hippos players, Samuel Ssenkoomi and Ssekisambu Elisa to Entebbe Tuesday morning to join the rest of the players in camp ahead of the clash against Ghana on Saturday.
It was bad luck for URA but for sure, the team had a good start of the campaign with three consecutive wins against Simba, Vita club and Ports FC. Even with a 2-1 loss to APR, the tax boys went down fighting!
