Uganda’s SC Villa faced a tough setback in their CAF Champions League campaign, suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia FC in the first preliminary round of the 2024/2025 tournament.
The match, held at Mandela National Stadium, saw SC Villa, the reigning Uganda Premier League champions, begin on the front foot, pressing for an early goal.
However, it was the visitors who drew first blood. Simon Peter Oketch capitalized on a defensive error in the 20th minute, calmly slotting the ball past SC Villa goalkeeper Jeans Brady Wokorach to put Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in the lead.
SC Villa had a golden opportunity to equalize just before halftime when Patrick Kakande found himself in a promising position inside the box. Unfortunately for the home side, Kakande’s shot flew wide, squandering the chance to level the score.
The situation worsened for SC Villa in the second half when substitute Charles Lwanga received a red card for a reckless challenge, leaving the team with ten men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, SC Villa managed to pull one back, but it was too little, too late as the visitors held on for the victory.
SC Villa’s coach, Morley Byekwaso, expressed his disappointment with his team’s first-half performance.
“We gave our opponents too much space, especially in the first half, which cost us. We improved later, but it wasn’t enough. We need to travel to Ethiopia for the return leg ready to fight on,” Byekwaso said.
With this result, SC Villa will need to secure a win by at least two goals in the return leg, scheduled for August 24, to advance to the second preliminary round of the competition.
Source: Xinhua Sports
