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Mbale Heroes 1-1 Lugazi FC

Lugazi FC’s head coach, Richard Makumbi, expressed a mix of relief and pride after his team salvaged a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Mbale Heroes FC.

The game, played at the Mbale Municipal Stadium on Saturday, tested the resolve of both teams, but it was Savio Kabugo’s late goal that ensured Lugazi returned with a valuable point.

“The game was tight, it was a game full of tension and it was not easy, at least we never expected it to be, but we take the point regardless,” Makumbi said.

“I am happy with the effort from the players, though I think we let ourselves down a bit in the first half.”

“But we managed the game better in the second half and I think we had the game under control,” he added.

The match didn’t start as planned for Lugazi, as Mbale Heroes took the lead after 33 minutes through Herbert Kibirango.

However, Kabugo’s composure in front of goal shone through in the 89th minute, as he capitalized on a knockdown from Sam Ssemugugu to slot home the equalizer.

“It was good to see that the senior players, especially the captain Savio Kabugo, taking the initiative and producing the moment of brilliance which rescued a point for us,” he said.

“He was calm in the crucial moment to bury the goal, having taken the initiative to push forward as we went for the equalizer.”

“I also want to thank our fans who made the trip this far, and pushed us on, they really were crucial for the team this afternoon,” Makumbi stated.

Despite the late heroics, Lugazi had a chance to seal all three points when Ronald Ssempala found himself with an empty goal in front of him.

However, Ssempala couldn’t convert, placing his effort over the crossbar.

The draw extends Lugazi’s unbeaten run to an impressive 13 league games. However, they remain in second place on the standings with 35 points, five points behind leaders Police FC.

They are level on points with Mbale Heroes and three points ahead of fourth-placed Kataka FC.

The focus now shifts to our next match against Blacks Power FC at the Lugazi FC stadium in Najjembe, where Makumbi and his team will continue their chase for promotion.