KCCA have a mountain to climb on Sunday when they attempt to overturn a 3-0 first leg defeat against Congo’s Otoho D’Oyo in the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Ugandan side need to score at least four un answered goals on the day to automatically eliminate the Congo side or at least post a similar 3-0 score line to take the game to penalties.
Looking at African football, there have not been so many come backs but Mike Mutebi and his charges will draw inspiration from little known Guinea side AC Horoya.
Last season’s quarter finalists in the Caf Champions League nearly missed out on this year’s Group stages after losing 3-0 away to Libya’s Al Nasr.
Just like KCCA, they needed to put four goals past the Libyans to reach the last 16 of the most lucrative club competition.
Trailing by three goals after the first leg of the round-of-30 tie, the Guineans took advantage of rivals reduced to 10 men by a red card to build a 5-1 second leg lead.
Nonetheless, with an extraordinary accomplishment just minutes away, Horoya conceded a second goal and Nasr edged in front on away goals with the tie deadlocked at 5-5 on aggregate.
This however couldn’t stop the comeback as in stoppage time; Boniface Haba netted a tie-clinching sixth goal for Horoya.
Mutebi and charges will need to do this come Sunday at the StarTimes stadium, Lugogo if KCCA are to play in the group stages of the Caf competition for third year on the bounce.
Just to remind you, the greatest comeback in a Caf club competition came in 1980 when Simba SC of Tanzania beat Zambians Mufulira Wanderers 5-0 away after losing 4-0 at home. And just last year, AS Otoho D’Oyo lost 9-0 to Algeria’s USM Alger after winning 2-0 at home