Vipers head into next week’s return leg at St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende with the clearest of targets—finish off the work they started in South Africa. The Ugandan champions will only need to avoid defeat to advance, thanks to a slim but priceless 1-0 cushion picked up in the first leg against African Stars.
That victory was fashioned in unusual circumstances, with the Namibian champions hosting their “home” fixture in Cape Town after failing to secure a suitable ground back home. The neutral setting played into Vipers’ hands, and Hilary Mukundane’s 13th-minute intervention—diverting Karim Watambala’s long-range strike—was enough to separate the sides.
For Vipers, the story of the night wasn’t just about the goal but also the missed chances that could have made next week’s clash a mere formality. Yunus Sentamu rounded the goalkeeper only to fluff his finish, while Gusto Mulongo was inches away from adding a second after good work from Milton Karisa.
Still, coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi will be encouraged by the defensive steel shown as African Stars threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser. The Venoms never cracked, and that resilience will be vital when they welcome the Namibians to Kitende.
Progress would set up a tough second preliminary round tie against either Zambia’s Power Dynamos or Ivorian heavyweights ASEC Mimosas. Yet, with memories of their 2022/23 group stage adventure—when they famously dumped out TP Mazembe—still fresh, Vipers know they are only 90 minutes away from keeping that dream alive.
