Africa-Press – Uganda. Once again West Nile behaved like the world-beaters they have proved to be in this edition of the Fufa Drum provincial tournament.
Ruthless, thrilling and commanding they have been throughout the tourney and that didn’t change when they hosted Lango in the first leg of the finals at the Green light Stadium in Arua on Saturday.
In the 2-0 conquest, they had subdued Lango’s magic man Allan Okello to a mere pedestrian and created hope in their fans that it was just the beginning – they still have more up their sleeves in the return leg at the Akiibua Stadium on Saturday.
Okello begs to differ, instead pointing at a potential mother of all comebacks when they too have the backing of their fans -and have corrected their mistakes.
“In Lira we will have the best fans that give us the 12th player. We had a bad result away from home but we gave it our best. We know it is now or never,” the KCCA playmaker told Daily Monitor.
The match proper was an attack alden affair that had the mammoth gathering on their toes all afternoon. West Nile coach Bosco Dudu, determined to draw first blood like it has been the case from the season start, threw the chicken sink at Lango, parading an attacking array of Fred Amaku, Muhammad Shaban and Cromwell Rwothomio – all goal hungry predators in their own rights.
The relentless attacks by the hosts yielded a freekick near the box that skipper Rashid Toha curled into the net.
The Arua Hill gangly defender has made it his trade to score from set pieces but this was exclusive – waving the ball through the wall and it bounced before evading Lango goalkeeper Emmanuel Odongkara to kiss the net on 35 minutes.
The visitors tried to respond with striker Denis Omedi hitting the post but the 2018 finalists were unrelenting and soon Amaku, on-form at league side Maroons, showed his polished finishing instincts to take West Nile into a healthy 2-0 lead that sent the crowds into the pandemonium.
The bustling Arua City was reduced to a carnival atmosphere before and after the match as each set of fans prided in their ancestry and might.
Shaban was a threat throughout the game only that like clubmate Okello, this wasn’t their day.
Okello looked overwhelmed and caged without the supporting cast of Rogers Mato and Moses Aliro who are with the Uganda Cranes on the Chan mission in North Africa.
Lango coach Ogwal Ongwedo will hope that wingers Joachim Ojera, Dickens Okwi and Emmanuel Okech step up their performances in the return leg if they are to overturn the deficit and get on course of winning their maiden trophy and the Shs30m cash prize.
Fufa Drum
Final, First leg result
West Nile 2-0 Lango
Return leg, January 14
Lango vs. West Nile, 4pm (Akii-Bua Stadium-Lira)
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