The hosts defied all odds to beat the Egyptian giants Al Ahly 2-0 for their first CAF Champions’ League Group stage win, which was also coincidentally the first win by a Ugandan club at this stage of the competition, talk about making history in style.
To many fans, this was another fixture to help the young Ugandan Premier League champions gain much needed experience, little did they know, the kasasiro boys were going to surprise the continents heavy weights.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Attack wins you games, defense wins you championships’, is a cliché that continues to split opinion in sport.”[/perfectpullquote]
In the past, most Ugandan teams focused a lot of attention on defense but Mutebi’s KCCA has balanced all fields, something that has given them an edge.
This was evident in the game’s second half, KCCA sat deep in the first half and were lucky not to concede. Thanks to the keepers heroics, the Kasasiro boys kept a crucial first half clean sheet and changed their approach in the second half.
The second half was a different story, KCCA were on the front foot from the beginning and could have easily scored four goals.
The Ugandan minnows proved that the gap among teams on the continent has slowly narrowed and thanks to the teams re-building project, they look like a team to watch out for. A few years back, this would have been a white wash for the Red Devils but things are slowly changing.
KCCA have been re-building a young squad and the results are starting to come. The team that beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly had 6 under-22 players, another sign that the national team’s re-building project is on the right path.
The squad was led by 20 year-old Muhammad Shaban, 19-year-old Lawrence Bukenya ,17 year-old Allan Okello, and 18 year-old Julius Poloto in attack, the 21-year-old captain Timothy Dennis Awany in defence, and 18 year-old Mustafa Kizza supporting him from the left.
The national team’s future is also bright, with the new prospects playing at such a level they will gain the much needed experience for Project Cameroon 2019. They showed composure against Al Ahly and switched tactics with ease, a skill that many pro’s confess took years to master.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Overall, we were very tactically disciplined. We were a little bit jittery in the first half. We were giving our balls that we didn’t have to and we were lucky not to concede. In the second half, we could have scored four goals.”[/perfectpullquote]
KCCA coach Mike Mutebi said after the game.
The quality of African football is continuously improving and group A can prove no teams are walkovers anymore.
In a group where two debutants (KCCA and Rollers) were pitted against former African Champions, the two newcomers are second and third while favorites Al Ahly are fourth.
KCCA FC is third with three points, same as Township Rollers who have conceded many goals while Al Ahly Sporting Club is fourth in the group with just a single point earned from the goal-less home draw against Esperance on match day one.
The next round of games (match day three) will come in July 2018.
KCCA XI:
Charles Lukwago (G.K), Denis Okot Oola, Mustafa Kizza, Habib Kavuma, Timothy Denis Awany (Captain), Isaac Kirabira (70’ Derrick Paul Nsibambi), Allan Okello, Ibrahim Saddam Juma, Jackson Nunda (47’ Lawrence Bukenya), Muhammed Shaban (85’ Paul Mucureezi), Julius Poloto
Subs Not Used:
Tom Ikara (G.K), Paul Mucureezi, Paul Musamali, Fillbert Obenchan, Solomon Okwalinga
Al Ahly Sporting Club XI:
Mohamed El Shenawy (G.K), Mohamed Eldmerdash, Abdelmontelb, Samir Saad Ali, Naguib El Gharel Mohammed, Elsoulia, Hussein, Walid Said Ebeid (66’ Ahmed Hussein Ahmed Hafez), Tharwat, Mahlambi, Hossam Alhour (Captain, 75’ Islam Mohareb)
Subs:
Sherif Ekramy Ahmed (G.K), Ahmed Fathi Abd El Monem , Basem Abdelnabi, Salah Mohsen, Mohamed Shalabi
