Beneath the floodlit ambiance of Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, KCCA FC secured a hard-fought victory over perennial adversaries SC Villa with a 2-0 triumph on Wednesday evening. It was the first match day at the facility since it underwent renovations three years ago.
Usama Arafat Kiza’s stellar performance, earning him the title of Pilsner Man of the Match, proved pivotal as he netted a commanding brace with assists from Herbert Achai and Joel Sserunjogi. Their collective efforts put the Jogoos on the back foot, dealing a significant blow to their title aspirations.
In the 81st minute, Usama’s inaugural goal unfolded before a near-capacity crowd at Namboole, showcasing a remarkable header from an Achai delivery that rendered Villa goalkeeper Braddy Wokorach immobile, leaving just eight minutes on the clock.
The rising star then completed his brace in the 89th minute, capitalizing on a mesmerizing series of passes that culminated in Sserunjogi’s clever decoy, enabling Arafat to calmly guide the ball into the net with his left foot.
Arafat remarked after the game, “It’s the entire team that contributed to the win. We have an incredible group of players that make the work easy.” Reflecting on his performance, he noted, “In the first few minutes, I was coming through from the midfield, but later I started sticking out to the wing and making penetrations, especially in the second half, and it paid off.”
However, despite Villa’s momentum being halted, KCCA, despite their early season struggles, find themselves still in contention.
With 45 points and four matches remaining, Villa, currently in fourth place, simply need to win their remaining fixtures and hope for slip-ups from the teams above them to clinch their first league title since 2004.
Meanwhile, KCCA could finish on 54 points if they secure victories in all four remaining matches, a tally that could be enough to secure the title if the teams ahead of them drop points.
Nevertheless, relying on such scenarios might be overly optimistic. Currently, it’s evident that the title race primarily involves leaders BUL, Kitara, Vipers, and Villa. The final stretch promises to be a tightly contested battle, potentially going down to the wire.
