Manager welcomes away goal with both hands 

By: Moses Magero
Manager Mike Mutebi gives instructions on the touchline against Sundowns at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria

2017 Total CAF Champions League
March 18th 2017: KCCA FC vs Mamelodi Sundowns
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KCCA FC tested themselves against African Champions Mamelodi Sundowns and managed to get the all important away goal in the first leg of the 2017 Total CAF Champions League.

As it looked like the defending champions were running off with the game, Geoffrey Sserunkuuma got the all important away goal in the 68th minute with a sublime clinical finish of a Derrick Nsibambi delivery.

That was welcomed with loud cheers from a handful of Ugandans leaving in South Africa who made their way to the Lucas Moripre Stadium on Friday evening.

Manager Mike Mutebi was equally overjoyed after sspending the entire week emphasising KCCA FC’s need to get that away goal.

The away goal is very important, it gives us confidence, belief and hope but doesn’t mean the tie is over

The manager told www.kccafc.co.ug after the game before explaining what went wrong in the first five minutes of the game.

In the first five minutes there were signs of jittery and over respecting the defending champions, but as the game grew, they started believing that it’s possible

It was after the two goal deficit that KCCA FC eventually settled into the game and started the campaign to get back.

Brian Majwega shields the ball from his opponent at Friday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria

The manager attributes that to belief which he has time and again urged his players to play with if they want to get results.

I always urge my players to believe in themselves, play their roles and play to their best. That’s what was needed as the game grew

That belief has seen KCCA FC score 52 goals in 23 games this season, 37 of those have come in the league, 12 in the Uganda cup and three on the continent, the league holders have only failed to score once

And the anger and urge to stand out and as emerging force on the continent grows each day from the manager and his team

We want to eliminate the defending champions but it won’t be easy, they are not a defensive team, I know they are coming to Kampala to play their way, we shall play our way.

That has been the gospel from the manager, wanting KCCA FC to play a specific style of play whether home or away, and that style is winning over fans at home and beyond.

We are not going to sit back against Sundowns, they open up, we open up and eventually the best team will win. The way we play enables us to create chances. When we played at home against Agosto, we created seven and scored one, away in Luanda again we created seven chances and scored one.

Against Sundowns, KCCA FC created five and only managed to bury one but the manager believes a time will come and the ratio of chances created to goals scored

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