Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda Christian University (UCU) will look to seal early progress to the quarterfinals of the Pepsi University Football League when they face Kampala International University (KIU) at Nsambya on Wednesday.
The Mukono-based side have collected maximum points from their opening three games and hold a five-point advantage over Busitema at the halfway point of the group stage.
“We have had a good week of training and we need to continue with the good results. The boys’ intensity is high and they’ve shown they are ready. There is a good energy in the group,” Kintu said.
“Sometimes players have to play off the cuff, try and create things for the team. That’s what I’ll always try to do and also score for fun,” added Kintu whose team were 2-0 winners over KIU in the first leg.
They have so far been the dominant side in the group having scored 11 goals and conceded only once in three games to highlight the daunting task that awaits KIU.
Do or die moment
It is now a win or bust fixture for KIU who are third in the four-team group with just three points on board.
“We have to be decisive and go for it. There will be no sitting back waiting for the other team’s mistakes. We have to take risks, otherwise we’ll be going nowhere,” KIU coach Geoffrey Akabwai said ahead of Wednesday’s Group D match.
“If we lose this game we shall be mathematically out of contention so I prefer to take the risk to give us a better chance of going to the next round. We need to win, we don’t want to go to the final games only playing to finish the matches, we need to play with a purpose, needing to win all our remaining games,’ Akabwai added.
Pride restored
On Tuesday’s highly-billed Group A encounter, Kabale University may not have picked maximum points but they managed to restore pride as they rallied to share spoils with log leaders Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), Nkozi.
The Kabale fans came out in good numbers, itching for a positive result with their team lying third with just three points after three outings.
But despite the support of the 12th man, Kabale found themselves pegged back as Akbar Ssentongo slotted home to give UMU the lead in the 16th minute.
That lead lasted only nine minutes before coach Farouk Nsubuga’s Kabale University team replied through Monisuri Turyasingura’s strike in the 25th minute that gave the crowd something to cheer about.
Kabale continued to push for the winner for the rest of the match and despite the Saints returning to Nkozi with one point this was arguably their toughest match of the campaign.
UMU regained their lead at the helm but it was trimmed to just a point because of the shared point. Kabale stay third with four points, now as Nkozi wait a little longer to reach the quarters.
PEPSI UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Result
Kabale 1-1 Uganda Martyrs
Wednesday’s – 3pm
KIU vs. UCU, Nsambya
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