Reigning StarTimes Uganda Premier League champions SC Villa began their CAF Champions League campaign on a disappointing note, suffering a 2-1 home loss to Ethiopian Premier League champions Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) in the first leg of the first preliminary round.
The match was played on Saturday, August 17, at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
The Jogoos were returning to continental football after a long hiatus, and were left to rue missed chances and a dull performance that also saw them finish the game with ten men.
Elvis Ngonde scored Villa’s only goal in the 69th minute, but it wasn’t enough to overturn the two goals CBE had already put past them.
CBE opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Ugandan midfielder Simon Peter Oketch found the back of the net after slipping through Villa’s defense.
Despite some attempts to equalise, including a golden opportunity that fell to Patrick Kakande, the Jogoos couldn’t convert their first half chances.
Villa interim coach Morley Byekwaso, made a bold move at halftime by making a triple substitution, bringing on Charles Lwanga, Elvis Ngonde, and Hakim Kiwanuka in an attempt to revitalise the team.
However, it was CBE who struck again in the 55th minute, with Adid Gedey finishing off a well-crafted team move to double their lead.
The home side finally gave their fans, who were just a handful at Namboole, something to cheer about when Ngonde pulled one back in the 69th minute with a stunning strike from outside the box.
Despite mounting pressure from Villa, their efforts were undone by another missed chance from Kakande and a late red card for Charles Lwanga, who was sent off for a reckless challenge.
With the 2-1 loss, SC Villa faces an uphill battle in the second leg in Addis Ababa on August 24.
To progress to the second preliminary round, the Ugandan champions will need to secure a victory by at least a two-goal margin.
A win would set up a clash with either last season’s semi-finalists and regional rivals Young Africans of Tanzania or Burundi’s Vital’O.
