Blessed Sacrament Kimanya secured a well-deserved 4-1 victory against Standard High Zzana in the ongoing 2024 USSSA National Games at Sports Arena, Kitovu on Thursday.
Najib Taali beat several bodies before firing Kimanya ahead with a powerful effort that left Standard High’s custodian totally beaten.
Five minutes later, Latif Semalulu restored parity for Standard High Zzana with a powerful effort from close range.
Standard High Zzana kept composed and built their attacks from the back holding Kimanya’s electric forward line at bay until the break.
Going into the second stanza of the game, Kimanya increased the pace and widened the pitch to try and stretch Standard High’s backline thus creating space in the middle.
Midway through the second stanza, Koma Huzaifah guided Kimanya back to the driving seat with a thrilling finish before the crowd erupted in jubilation.
Moments later, James Bogere tapped into an empty net after Taali had left Standard High’s backline lying on the green.
Patrick Mutebi sealed Kimanya’s victory with a simple finish as the fans’ favourite sealed a spot in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Kimanya will take on defending champions St Mary’s Kitende who also secured a 2-0 victory at the round of 16.
Hakim Mutebi and Isa Bugema were on target to ensure that Kitende beat Nakaseke International in a game that gave the crowd a lot of moments to reminisce.
Kimanya will face a test in the game against Kitende however head coach Abbey Kakumirizi revealed that they are prepared as the target will remain improving their style of play.
“We are going to come and try to give our best. Our aim is to improve the style of play and that can only be achieved if they are confident. The more they get confident the more they understand the need of the game which enables them to make the right decisions,” he said.
“Standard High Zzanna was a smart team and we had to first understand how best to harm them. The game was separated by small margins and we now shift the attention to Kitende. We shall handle one game at a time until our last game,” he added.
Round of 16 | Results
- St Mary’s Kitende 2-0 Nakaseke International
- Standard High 1-4 Blessed Sacrament
- Amus College 1(3)-1(4) Jinja SS
- St Julian Seeta 2-0 Jinja Comprehensive
- Jinja Progressive 5-0 Kabalega SS
- Mukono Kings 3(5)-3(6) Masaka SS
- Kisozi Seed 2(5)-2(4) Kawempe Muslim
