Vipers coach George Nsimbe (L) shows striker Erisa Ssekisambu how to shoot at club’s training ground in Kitende ahead of their Caf Champions League return leg match against Enyimba of Nigeria earlier this week.
In Summary
SOCCER. Leading 2-1 from the first leg, SC Villa were on course to progress to the next stage with the second leg goalless after 70 minutes. But Angolan side Aviacao scored twice to clinch the tie 3-2 and date Hearts of Oak
The election season is winding down. With it came many distractions to the sports scene. It had to be withheld until this week.
After a delay to kick off the second round due to the Africa Nations Championship (Chan), the Azam Uganda Premier League was not spared by elections.
It resumed this week with leaders KCCA opening a four-point lead over second placed Vipers with an impressive 3-1 win over four-time league winners URA at Nakivubo on Tuesday.
League title holders Vipers were given a day off to prepare for what should be a grueling trip to Nigeria to face two-time African champions Enyimba.
Their first leg tie of preliminary round of the Caf Champions League ended 1-0 here. Vipers, on their continental debut, and SC Villa have behaved like Siamese twins despite the gulf in history.
No wonder SC Villa, too, beat Al Khartoum by the same margin at same stage of the Caf Confederations Cup, albeit their first leg tie was away from home in Sudan.
Those return leg encounters are on this weekend. Little has changed from the first meetings except that Villa have learned some lessons from the past while Vipers are still in the audition room.
Aviacao ghosts
Of their 19 previous appearances on the continent, nothing hurts like Villa’s 2003 encounter with Angolan side AS Aviacao.
Villa had easily smothered Burundian side Muzinga 4-2 in the preliminary round to advance to the first round pregnant with expectation and ambition.
They also had a new coach in Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic.
In the first round, the Serb pulled off a masterstroke with a shock 2-1 away victory in Luanda. Good times were indeed ahead.
Goals from Vincent Tendwa and Alex Isabirye made them outright favourites to move within one round of the coveted money-spinning group stages.
Even if Mandela National Stadium, Namboole was not even half full, nothing was going to stop Villa. Then, disaster struck during this largely peaceful procession.
On 70 minutes, the game was goalless before Aviacao scored twice to clinch the tie 3-2 and book passage to face Ghana’s traditional giants Hearts of Oak.
That springboard, earned at Namboole, took them to the group stages as Villa sulked.
Those memories have not faded, after all Villa are only playing on the continent for the first time in 12 years.
Coach Ibrahim Kirya has in fact refused to count his chickens before they hatch as he is aware that Khartoum might have an ‘Aviacao’ in them.
Nsimbe bullish
Amid that speech of caution, Villa can also teach Vipers a few things about trips to West Africa as they have been there on several occasions.
In the good old dominant Villa days, they faced Nigeria’s Julius Berger (2001) and Hearts of Oak (1999). On both trips, Villa lost 3-0 there.
Of course, Vipers’ coach George Nsimbe is aware of all this and will find little comfort in the razor-thin 1-0 victory, a fortnight ago.
Stories about squalid conditions will not be too far away. Teams being driven for several miles in hot and humid conditions and not being availed training facilities will not be new.
Throw in some witchcraft as seen in your favourite Nollywood movies and some will say Vipers stand no chance.
“If you check your books, you will find that I have done well away from home before than many others,” Nsimbe said in a bullish tone after the first leg.
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