Africa-Press – Uganda. Fort Portal City County became the first team to seal a place in the semi-finals of the MTN Kabode Tooro Kingdom Masaza Cup 2025 after a tense goalless draw with Kyaka County on Sunday evening.
The top-of-the-table clash, played on Sunday evening at St. Leo’s College Kyegobe in Fort Portal City, saw both sides cancel each other out in a cagey encounter, though the result was enough for Fort Portal to top Group A. They finished the group stage with four points, courtesy of an earlier 3-0 win over Kibaale County, and advanced on goal difference.
Kyaka, who also finished on four points after beating Kibaale 2-0 in their opener, now await results from the remaining groups to determine their fate. With two clean sheets under their belt and a solid defensive record, they are currently in pole position to advance as the best runner-up.
Sunday’s game was not without incident. The assistant coach of Kyaka, Barigye Ateenyi, was shown a red card in the 67th minute and marched off the touchline, leaving his side to navigate the final third of the match without him on the bench.
Despite the stalemate, Fort Portal’s Malik Businge put in a commanding performance and was named Man of the Match. Speaking after the game, the midfielder expressed his delight at the team’s qualification and emphasized their hunger to go all the way.
“I’m happy that we have qualified from the groups and we played a very good game,” said Malik. “Though Kyaka is strong, we managed to hold them at home. Our focus now is the trophy — we need it. We don’t want to repeat the same mistakes as the previous ones.”
Kyaka County official Alex Kansiime was also full of praise for his team’s effort and their tactical execution under pressure.
“Our boys knew that any loss in Fort Portal was going to send us automatically out of the tournament, so they played a very good game and managed to secure a draw against the home team,” Kansiime said.
Group A has now been concluded, with Fort Portal securing top spot and Kyaka awaiting confirmation of their potential qualification as the best runner-up. All eyes now turn to Groups B and C.
In Group B, Ntoroko and Burahya both sit on three points. Burahya is scheduled to face bottom-placed Kitagwenda, with the result set to determine who finishes top. A win or draw for Burahya would see them through, while the second-placed team in the group would finish with three points or fewer, bolstering Kyaka’s qualification hopes.
Group C will reach its climax on August 3, when Mwenge North (three points) hosts Mwenge South (one point). A win for Mwenge South would catapult them to four points and the top of the group, but once again, the runner-up would not exceed three points.
This mathematical outlook strongly favours Kyaka County to progress as the best loser, joining Fort Portal and the two remaining group winners in the semi-final stage of the tournament.
Full-Time Result – Matchday 7
Fort Portal 0–0 Kyaka
Man of the Match: Malik Businge (Fort Portal)
Red Card: Barigye Ateenyi (Assistant Coach, Kyaka – 67’)
As the tournament nears the business end, Fort Portal have emerged as early favourites, while Kyaka remain hopeful their campaign continues. The road to the trophy is heating up in the MTN Kabode Tooro Kingdom Masaza Cup.
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