Uganda goes for hat trick
Jan 20, 2007
URA play home boys APR in the cup final today at Amahoro Stadium with coach Frank ‘Video’ Anyau praying for a repeat of the preliminary result where his team beat the Rwanda army side 3-0.
By Abdallah Mubiru in Kigali, Rwanda
Third place play-off
St George 2 Atraco 0
Today
Final: APR v URA, 6.00pm
URA play home boys APR in the cup final today at Amahoro Stadium with coach Frank ‘Video’ Anyau praying for a repeat of the preliminary result where his team beat the Rwanda army side 3-0.
The winner will take home $30,000 (sh59m), the loser $20,000 (sh39m) while the third placed team will take $10,000 (sh19m), all courtesy of Rwanda president Paul Kagame.
Anyau, whose team came close to being ejected from the championship is excited and believes URA is the team to beat.
“We came from far, after our first two games; we were considered underdogs, now we have taken them by surprise. With football, anything is possible,†Anyau remarked.
The revenue authority team drew 1-1 with Yanga in its opening game, lost 1-0 to hapless CDE, then recovered to beat APR and Vitalâ€O 3-0 before edging St. George 2-1 in extra time in the semi-finals.
Anyau described his team’s victory over St George on Wednesday as a revenge, following the Ethiopians’ defeat of two other teams handled by Ugandan coaches.
St. George beat Sam Ssimbwa’s Atraco 4-2; and later frustrated Sam Timbe’s Police FC’s dream of defending the Cecafa title with a 4-0 drubbing.
Until Wednesday, the Ethiopian side coached by a Bosnian, Fahrudin Zejnilovic, were counting themselves as the tournament’s favourites.
“I had to lay a strategy to crack them (St George), otherwise it would look like they have dominated Ugandan coaches. I am so excited to have saved my fellow Ugandan coaches’ faces.â€
The URA win severely shocked St George . Some of the Ethiopian club’s players were yet to recover by yesterday. The team lost huge bonuses that had been staked by their bosses for winning this year’s edition of the club championship.
Each player, according to Ugandan Geoffrey Sserunkuuma had been promised $6,000 (sh11m).
“That is why you saw (Hannington) Kalyesubula crying after the game because we had really lost big money,†said Serunkuuma, the scorer of St. George's consolation.
URA goal scorers Fred Okello (96 mins) and Sam Mubiru (100) praised their youthful custodian Frank Mulindwa for tremendous saves made, and prayed that he sparkles again tonight against APR.
“If Mulindwa had not been steady, the game would have ended in 90 minutes, with URA losing. So my goal would not have counted,†said Mubiru, who headed in the winner.
Phillip Obwiny, an inspiration to the team’s overall performance and the provider of both goals boasted: “my set pieces no longer make news because it’s what my coach, fellow players and supporters expect me to do.â€
Meanwhile, St. George yesterday beat Rwanda’s Sam Simbwa side Atraco 2-0 in the classification match at Amahoro Stadium.
The winners will take home $10,000 staked by Kagame.
Third place play-off
St George 2 Atraco 0
Today
Final: APR v URA, 6.00pm
URA play home boys APR in the cup final today at Amahoro Stadium with coach Frank ‘Video’ Anyau praying for a repeat of the preliminary result where his team beat the Rwanda army side 3-0.
The winner will take home $30,000 (sh59m), the loser $20,000 (sh39m) while the third placed team will take $10,000 (sh19m), all courtesy of Rwanda president Paul Kagame.
Anyau, whose team came close to being ejected from the championship is excited and believes URA is the team to beat.
“We came from far, after our first two games; we were considered underdogs, now we have taken them by surprise. With football, anything is possible,†Anyau remarked.
The revenue authority team drew 1-1 with Yanga in its opening game, lost 1-0 to hapless CDE, then recovered to beat APR and Vitalâ€O 3-0 before edging St. George 2-1 in extra time in the semi-finals.
Anyau described his team’s victory over St George on Wednesday as a revenge, following the Ethiopians’ defeat of two other teams handled by Ugandan coaches.
St. George beat Sam Ssimbwa’s Atraco 4-2; and later frustrated Sam Timbe’s Police FC’s dream of defending the Cecafa title with a 4-0 drubbing.
Until Wednesday, the Ethiopian side coached by a Bosnian, Fahrudin Zejnilovic, were counting themselves as the tournament’s favourites.
“I had to lay a strategy to crack them (St George), otherwise it would look like they have dominated Ugandan coaches. I am so excited to have saved my fellow Ugandan coaches’ faces.â€
The URA win severely shocked St George . Some of the Ethiopian club’s players were yet to recover by yesterday. The team lost huge bonuses that had been staked by their bosses for winning this year’s edition of the club championship.
Each player, according to Ugandan Geoffrey Sserunkuuma had been promised $6,000 (sh11m).
“That is why you saw (Hannington) Kalyesubula crying after the game because we had really lost big money,†said Serunkuuma, the scorer of St. George's consolation.
URA goal scorers Fred Okello (96 mins) and Sam Mubiru (100) praised their youthful custodian Frank Mulindwa for tremendous saves made, and prayed that he sparkles again tonight against APR.
“If Mulindwa had not been steady, the game would have ended in 90 minutes, with URA losing. So my goal would not have counted,†said Mubiru, who headed in the winner.
Phillip Obwiny, an inspiration to the team’s overall performance and the provider of both goals boasted: “my set pieces no longer make news because it’s what my coach, fellow players and supporters expect me to do.â€
Meanwhile, St. George yesterday beat Rwanda’s Sam Simbwa side Atraco 2-0 in the classification match at Amahoro Stadium.
The winners will take home $10,000 staked by Kagame.