Vipers Junior Team have reclaimed their place at the pinnacle of Ugandan youth football, edging BUL Junior Team 2-1 in a gripping FUFA Junior League final at the FUFA Kadiba Stadium on Wednesday.
The victory not only halted BUL’s dominance in recent seasons but also elevated Vipers to their third championship crown, placing them level with their Eastern rivals as the most decorated sides in the competition’s history.
The opening half was a tense chess match, both teams creating dangerous looks without finding the finishing touch. But after the restart, the contest exploded into life, with Vipers’ talismanic forward Arafat Nkoola seizing the spotlight.
Nkoola broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, darting onto a perfectly-weighted Marvin Kabiito delivery and calmly slotting past the goalkeeper. BUL answered swiftly, however, as tournament top-scorer Ivan Maturu dispatched a penalty just four minutes later, setting the stage for a dramatic finale.
Yet Nkoola had other plans. Barely two minutes after BUL’s equalizer, the Venoms’ danger man rose above a packed penalty area to thunder home a towering header, restoring Vipers’ lead and ultimately delivering the decisive blow.
BUL pressed frantically in the dying stages, but Vipers’ rearguard, marshalled with composure and grit, shut the door, sparking wild celebrations from the Kitende faithful as the long-awaited silverware made its way back to their trophy cabinet.
This triumph not only reasserts Vipers as a force in the FUFA Junior League but also ignites a fierce duel with BUL, with both sides now locked on three titles apiece.
