Vipers settled for a goalless draw at Kitara in the first leg of the Stanbic Uganda Cup at Royal Park Butema to leave the tie evenly poised.
The hosts were the better side for larger parts of the game but the visitors held on thanks mainly to Man of the Match Denis Kiggundu who pulled off magical saves.
Ismael Kiyonga rates Vipers’ players from Butema
Denis Kiggundu 9.0: A nearly perfect afternoon for the goalkeeper who made over five good saves to keep the visitors in the game. Deservedly voted Man of the match.
Ashraf Mandela 5.0: Struggled to get a grip on Patrick Kaddu early in the game but never gave up.
Derrick Ndahiro 5.0: Bullied by Jimmy Kalema and later Kabon Living but never shy of showing his brilliance when on the ball. Booked for a foul on Ssenoga.
Hilary Mukundane 6.0: Headed over the bar in the first half but struggled to keep Kitara forwards at bay as he usually does.
Rogers Torach 6.5: Earned a rare start ahead of Dasylva and played with composure even under tough conditions.
Taddeo Lwanga 6.0: Struggled against the dynamic midfield manned by Sibira, Ssenoga and Wahab but his positional sense helped to shield the backline.
Enock Ssebagala 5.0: Rightly substituted in the second half after failing to impose himself on the game. Dominated in the middle.
Karim Watambala 6.0: A couple of decent touches and was the closest to opening up the Kitara steady defence with his passes.
Milton Karisa 5.0: Forced off a few minutes to the break after he was at the end of a career threatening tackle by Jasper Aheebwa
Glodi Beyuku 5.0: Handed a rare start by Minnaert and gave a good account of himself with some neat movement on and off the ball. Denied by Kibirige in the first half.
Yunus Sentamu 5.0: Kept silent by the resilient Henry Musisi and appeared to struggle to impose himself on the game.
Substitutions
Marvin Youngman 6.0: Replaced Karisa on the wings but later returned to his preferred central midfield position when the Venoms reverted to 3-5-2.
Bady Dasylva 5.5: Came on midway the second half as Vipers resorted to a three-man centre back. Headed away some dangerous crosses.
Gusto Mulongo 5.0: Didn’t threaten as much due to lack of service.
Odili Chukwuma 4.0: His impact rarely felt despite playing for over fifteen minutes.
Head coach Jacky Ivan Minnaert 7.0: His changes spoke volumes about his intention not to lose the first leg probably believing his side will finish the job at home.
