Uganda Cup: KCCA box out Amuka in 10-goal thriller

Dec 26, 2018

A hattrick by Mike Mutyaba and a brace each by Steven Sserwadda and Allan Okello see the defending champions easily knock out Amuka Bright Stars.

BOXING DAY: STANBIC UGANDA CUP ROUND OF 64

Wednesday's result at Lugogo

KCCA FC  8  Amuka Bright Stars 2


By Joseph Kizza

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@joekizza

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KAMPALA - It was an embarrassment of riches for KCCA FC in a ten-goal Uganda Cup thriller as they boxed Amuka Bright Stars out of the competition Wednesday.

The holders, playing at home for this round of 64 tie on Boxing Day, penetrated their opponents' defence with the sort of ease of a hot knife slicing through butter.

And by the end of 90 minutes, a hattrick, two braces and a cake-topping cherry of a goal all for one side, and two consolation strikes for the other, told the complete story.

Absolute dominance - in two words.

A befitting Christmas gift for the KCCA fans.

Fresh from successful continental engagement only four days ago, the Kasasiro Boys took the game to their lesser-known opposition to immediately imprint a pattern of recurrent superiority.

Steven Sserwadda, who made his CAF debut against Tanzanian side Mtibwa Sugar FC in the Confederation Cup recently, opened the rout at StarTimes Stadium Lugogo with a 13th-minute header.

Mike Mutyaba then made Allan Okello's industry count when he pounced seven minutes later to double KCCA's lead. The two again combined well for Mutyaba's second of the day - and the hosts' third - against Amuka's crumbling house of cards.

Sserwadda swiftly made it four for Mike Mutebi's rampant side 11 minutes before the break, before Christopher Kirya reduced Lira-based Amuka's arrears with a decent strike.

But Mutyaba's last-gasp goal right before half time - completing his hattrick - more than ended this match as a contest even with 45 minutes still to play.

Six goals in the opening half. Five for KCCA.



More goals in the tank

Trailing by four goals, Amuka returned for the second stanza by making an immediate double substitution before resumption of action: Daniel Okem and Dennis Omedi were introduced in place of Joel Ayella and James Baker Ocaya, respectively.

KCCA remained intact thus far, with no reforms yet.

But their well-oiled steely machinery once again piled more misery on the visitors, with two-goal assist man Okello turning from provider to scorer with a cute goal in the 58th minute.

The KCCA forward, who scored home and away in the double header against Mtibwa, completed his brace against Amuka three minutes after burying his first.

Substitute Julius Poloto struck moments before Bronson Nsubuga's second consolation goal for Amuka late on to put to bed a comprehensive display by the hosts - and an embarrassing one for Amuka, who are knocked out of the competition.

After Wednesday's victory, Mutebi's side are now into the round of 32 as their quest to retain the cup they won last year by beating arch-rivals Vipers SC in the final continues.


Mutyaba does a trick: Pulls three goals out of his hat!



A giants vs minnows affair

Even before the ball was kicked, KCCA, who are ten-time joint-record winners of the Uganda Cup, had already been tapped on the shoulder as the overwhelming favourites to advance on the day.

Progression through the peripheral stages of this competition has over time become a case of regularity for the Lugogo-based side.

And the relative ease with which Mutebi's troops shook off their opponents on a sweltering Wednesday early evening illustrated exactly why they had been favoured by bookmakers in the run-up to the tie.

Amuka provided little resistance against KCCA's marauding forwards and the contest proved a herculean task for the visitors, who were picked off one by one as the match wore on.

When the final whistle whirred, the visitors had long caved in, but they will walk away knowing they were the minnows here and only did what they could with the odds heavily out of their favour.

For KCCA, sterner tests lie ahead as the competition constricts and sieves out the chaff from the fine lot - and the defending champions will have known that all too well.

There is continental football at stake.

The winners of the Uganda Cup qualify to represent the nation at the CAF Confederation Cup - a competition whose latest edition KCCA and CAF Champions League-relegated Vipers are taking part in at the play-off round.

The draw for this stage will be held this Friday.

 

Also related to this story

CAF Confederation Cup: KCCA swipe aside Mtibwa to progress

CAF Confederation Cup: KCCA 3 Mtibwa Sugar 0

What next for Vipers after CAF Champions League exit?



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