Vipers overcome Police to remain second

Dan Sserunkuma (left) celebrates his openner against Police on Tuesday. (Vipers Photos)

StarTimes Uganda Premier League
Police FC 1-2 Vipers SC
StarTimes Stadium, Lugogo
Tuesday, 23-04-2019

LUGOGO – Vipers SC remained second on the StarTimes Uganda Premier League following a 2-1 win away to Police FC.

The Venoms who went into the game knowing only a win could probably save their title defence scored through Dan Sserunkuma and Rahmat Ssenfuka.

Police who looked below per throughout the entire 90 minutes scored late in the game thanks to Safi Basani.

Unlike in most of their home game, Police started slowly on Tuesday and were made to pay on 14 minutes as Vipers took the lead.

After some good interplay in the middle, Vipers day’s captain Brian Nkuubi released Innocent Wafula on the right and the winger played in a low cross for Dan Sserunkuma who expertly converted into the net for 1-0.

Police looked to be growing into the game but would go into halftime trailing to the Sserunkuma goal.

League top scorer Juma Balinya who had struggled to find any spaces in the Vipers area, tried his luck from distance on 54 minutes but his effort sailed over the bar.

Four minutes later, for Cop. Rahmat Ssenfuka doubled Vipers lead.

The holding midfielder made a late run into the box to connect neatly with a Duncan Sseninde cut-back and strike past Davis Mutebi and in process put Vipers 2-0 up.

Sseninde (right) protects the ball as Police’s Paul Wila closes in on Tuesday.

Police who have scored the second most goals in the League this season would not go down easily as they pulled a goal back with 26 minutes to play.

Basani Safi and Johnson Odong enjoyed good interplay on the right with the later playing in the former, through on goal. Odong struck the ball first time, beating Venoms’ goalkeeper Derrick Ochan at the near post.

In response, Vipers made a change that saw Sserunkuma withdrawn and replaced with Brian Kalumba.

As the game neared it’s close, Nkuubi got a chance to score Vipers’ third but his effort from inside the area sailed over Mutebi’s cross-bar.

Police’s best chance to draw level came three minutes from time as Basani beat the Vipers’ offside trap but could not control his intended cross, sending the ball over with Balinya and Odong waiting to tap-in into the net.

In the end, Abdalla Mubiru’s side would succumb to a second defeat in their last 12 games, leaving them 9th on the standings with 37 points from 28 games.

With KCCA FC drawing away to Nyamityobra, Vipers relinquished their league crown as they are now 7 points behind the Kasasiros with just two games to play. Vipers now have 53 points as compared to KCCA’s 60.