Prime
SC Villa await fate after tense stalemate with APR
SC Villa line at the Cecafa Kagame Cup. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
In a game where chances were far and few, depleted Jogoos desperately pushed for a winner to no avail.
Without five pivotal players - Ronald Sekiganda, Reagan Mpande, Charles Lwanga, Diego Semugera and Norman Angufindru - SC Villa still managed to put up a solid show in the pulsating 1-all draw with APR on Monday.
All said, the Jogoos fate of progressing to Cecafa Kagame semifinal stage still hangs in balance and will depend on today's final results in Group A.
Group A table leaders Hilal (six points) will take on third-placed Gor Mahia (one point) today while second-placed REd Arrows (three points) have a date Ali Sabieh (one point)
Three-time winners SC Villa had to climb back in the game after going one down in the first half with new signing Najib Yiga registering his name on the scoresheet for the second game in a row.
In a game where chances were far and few, depleted Jogoos desperately pushed for a winner to no avail.
SC Villa boss Dusan Stojanovic threw on forwards Julius Niwamanya and Hakim Kiwanuka for jaded Peter Onzima and Kaka Omony to break the Rwandese resistance but it didn't work out.
Not even the substitution of Andrew Otim for goal hero Yiga seemed to work as Villa's protagonist Patrick Kakande was kept at bay by the APR defence.
The stalemate left Villa with five points from three matches with a minimal chance to go to the semis as the best losers - and served to highlight their habitual struggles in front of goal.
"We wanted to win but managed to get a draw although we played well, the boys gave their all so we wait for Tuesday (today) results.
"We had a chance to gauge our team ahead of next month's Caf Champions League, we noted many lessons about our players' strengths and weaknesses which gives us a starting point in the rebuilding," Villa deputy coach said.
APR made the semifinals with seven points from three matches and their Serbian coach Draco Novic was elated that they overcame a timid first half to show their character that can propel them to the cecafa title.
Villa, who made the continental finals in 1991 and 1992, will face Ethiopian giants CBE at home on August 16 and later in Addis Ababa on August 26 as they await the winner between Vital'o and Yanga at the next stage.
If anything, Stojanovic will need at least to reinforce his attacking line in the ongoing transfer window to lift the scoring burden off Lwanga, Kakande and now Yiga.
