StarTimes Uganda Premier League
URA FC 1-1 Vipers SC
Mandela National Stadium, Namboole
Friday, 25-01-2019
NAMBOOLE – URA FC held Vipers to a 1-1 draw in the only STarTimes Uganda Premier League game played on Friday.
URA took the lead through captain Shafick Kagimu but Dan Sserunkuma leveled matters at the stroke of half-time as both goals came in the opening 45 minutes.
Both sides started slowly in the opening exchanges with most of the action concentrated in the middle of the park.
URA piled on the pressure with two quick-fire corner. The first was dealt with by the Venoms but it was the second which had a lot to write about. Saidi Kyeyune sent in a in-swinger from the left but was headed agonizingly wide by Patrick Mbowa who rose highest.
Vipers struggled to get to grips in the game, with only Dan Sserunkuma causing trouble for the home sides.
The visitors first chance came half way the first half with Innocent Wafula shooting across the URA goal after finding himself isolated in the area.
Four minutez later, URA goalkeeper James Alitho dived low to pury out Moses Waiswa’s free-kick for a corner which mounted to nothing.
At the half hour mark, Wafula headed over a Waiswa out swinging free-kick from Waiswa.
With Vipers dominating play, URA decided to try their luck on the counter and it paid off as Shafick Kagimu tapped in a delicious cross from the right to hand the home side the lead.
The Tax Collectors had a chance to go 2-0 up on 43 minutes but Mathew Odong shot over from just outside the area after good inter-play with Kagimu.
At the stroke of halftime, Vipers leveled matters through Dan Sserunkuma as the dread-locked striker pounced on a lose ball in URA’s area and shot at the near post off Alitho and into the net.
At the start of the second half, URA came out searching for an early goal and saw Kagimu head over Waibi’s cross from the left.
URA made two quick substitutions as Robert Mukongotya came on for Robert Amunuk and moments later, Joachim Ojera replace Ronald Musana.
With the tax Collectors asking most of the questions, Mukongotya shot straight at the wall off a free-kick on 62 minutes.
At the other end, Vipers got a free-kick of their own but Waiswa sent it over the bar from a narrow angle.
On 67 minutes, Vipers made their first substitution of the game with Captain Tadeo Lwanga taken off and replaced by Brian Nkuubi.
With 21 minutes to play, Waibi sent in a free kick from the left after Geoffrey Wasswa had fouled Ojera but Fabian Mutombora punched it away from danger.
With Vipers seeking to add more fire-power upfront, they introduced Abraham Ndugwa in place of the ineffective Tito Okello.
In a game that was played in fair style, the first yellow card of the game was shown to Ojera for a nasty foul on Lutimba at the center line.
Vipers made their last substitution with 10 minutes to play as Duncan Sseninde replaced Wafula.
The last telling opportunity of the game fell to Nkuubi who blasted over a free-kick, 20 yards from goal after Sserunkuma was brought down.
In the last minutes of the game, neither side looked like they would win it as the other put out a spirited defensive display.
In the end, the two sides had to take home only a point which sees Vipers remain 2nd on the log with 30 points from 14 games.
For URA, they are 6th with 22 points accumulated from the first round.
The StarTimes Uganda Premier League will resume on Sunday with Vipers hosting Mbarara City in their last game of the first round.
