Lugazi Seal Uganda Premier League Promotion

Sunday, May 26
*Blacks Power 1-0 Kiyinda Boys
*Mbale Heroes 2-1 Onduparaka
*Calvary FC 2-0 Kataka
*Police 2-0 Kigezi Homeboyz
*Booma 4-2 Young Elephant
*Lugazi 2-0 Kaaro Karungi

Lugazi FC has earned Uganda Premier League (UPL) status for their first time ever, after just two seasons of trying in Big League.

Before the Sunday match, the Leaders, as the Lugazi-based club is christened just needed a point to confirm their promotion to the top flight.

For a very ambitious team that Lugazi has been for these past two season, they went all out on Sunday to get all three points at home, beating Kaaro Karungi 2-0 to get two more points than they needed to qualify.

Now second on the 15-team Big League table, Lugazi have reached the 50 points streak, a mark unreachable to fourth-placed Kataka in their only remaining one game to end the season.

In the deciding match against Kaaro Karungi, Lugazi gained early advantage, as Sam Ssemugugu tapped in from close range, assisted by Moses Buga to score within the first ten minutes of the game.

Immediately past the half hour mark, Ronald Ssempala scored to double the home side’s lead. The striker dribbled past the goalkeeper to find the back of the net, after finding a through ball off Alvin Birungi’s foot.

Lugazi went into the halftime break with a commanding 2-0 lead. Coming back for the last 45 minutes was a much easier job for them to do, as they they needed not to do much but to keep their lead safely, and they did just that to seal that very historic win.

Lugazi only narrowly missed out on UPL qualification last term, that was also their debut season in the Big League, in which they only fell 13 points short, having finished 6th on the 15-team table with 44 points from 30 games.

After peeping at promotion, the 2nd division side came back re-energized, reorganized, with a more deliberate plan to attain top flight status. A few months after, and their main target has been achieved, with a game to spare, joining Police and Mbale Heroes as the promoted sides.

Lineups used:

Lugazi XI; Fahad Emuran (GK), Faizo Matovu (C), Ali Bayo, Ronald Ssempala, Moses Buga, Paul Wasswa, Sam Ssemugugu, Alvin Birungi, Richard Ayiko, Gift Lubega, Abdul Kalanzi

Substitutes; Solomon Akodi, Freedom Mungudit, Derrick Mwanje, Andrew Odong, Derrick Ochen, Shafik Kiryowa, Mubaraka Mitala, Amagu Louis Anguti Francis Anguzu

Kaaro Karungi XI; Martin Baale (GK), Ian Amanya (C), Vicent Kibuuka, Ashraf Magemba, Ronald Kayondo, Samuel Kawawa, Paskali Oketcho, Emmanuel Anyama, Norman Ndyamuhaki, George Akena, Hassan Kato

Substitutes; Isaac Onyango, Oscar Daniel Nyanga, Enoch Tumwesigye, Ronald Ahereza