Mbalangu Draws Positives from UPDF Defeat to Entebbe UPPC

UPDF head coach Hussein Mbalangu believes his side have positives to build on despite their 2-1 defeat to Entebbe UPPC at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, as the army side continues its search for a first victory of the Uganda Premier League season. UPDF produced a more encouraging attacking display than in their opening match against Kataka, but once again failed to turn a promising performance into maximum points after surrendering a lead against the Printers.

The army side started brightly and quickly established themselves as the more purposeful team, eventually taking a deserved lead through Derrick Taremwa. The forward rose powerfully to meet the ball and directed his header beyond the goalkeeper, giving UPDF an advantage that reflected their positive approach during the opening stages and offered the visitors a strong platform from which to control the contest.

Entebbe, however, gradually found their rhythm after falling behind and began to put the visitors under increasing pressure as the first half progressed. Their persistence was rewarded five minutes before the interval when Thomas Ochungo rose to head home the equaliser, bringing UPPC back into the contest and ensuring the two teams went into halftime level after an entertaining opening 45 minutes.

The second half produced another shift in momentum as the hosts continued to search for the decisive goal. Substitute Ambrose Kigozi eventually became the match-winner after winning a penalty and confidently converting from the spot, completing UPPC’s comeback and securing a second consecutive victory for the Printers. For UPDF, the manner of the defeat will be particularly frustrating after they had taken the lead and looked capable of collecting a positive result.

Mbalangu, however, believes the performance contained enough encouragement to suggest that his team is moving in the right direction. The coach was particularly encouraged by the fact that his players managed to score after drawing a blank in their opening fixture, viewing the improvement in front of goal as an important step even though the team ultimately left Nakivubo empty-handed.

“Sad that we didn’t get at least point but we have some positives to take and build on. In the first game, we didn’t score but today we did and that is an improvement from the last game. We shall build on that and defend better in the next game,”

Mbalangu said after his side’s deafeat.

Mbalangu’s assessment points to the balance his team now needs to find between attack and defence. Taremwa’s goal demonstrated that UPDF can create and convert opportunities, but conceding twice after taking the lead exposed shortcomings in their ability to protect an advantage and manage the game when the opposition increases the pressure. Tightening that defensive organisation will therefore be one of the coach’s immediate priorities.

The result leaves UPDF with just one point from their opening two matches, meaning the pressure to start collecting victories will gradually increase as the season progresses. The team has shown encouraging signs in both matches, but points remain the ultimate measure in a competitive Premier League campaign, and Mbalangu will want his players to turn their positive moments into more consistent results.

Their next opportunity comes on September 10 when UPDF travel to Police Arena, Kira Road, to face Police. The Cops have also started the campaign strongly, making the fixture another demanding test for Mbalangu’s side. UPDF will hope to use the lessons from the Entebbe defeat, particularly the need to defend better after taking the lead, to produce a more complete performance and secure their first victory of the campaign.