CAF Women Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers: Kenya Police ‘Bullets’ Queens from Kampala Once at Nyayo Stadium
By: Haba Plan
Uganda’s champions and representatives in the CAF Women Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers, Kampala Queens had a poor start of the tournament losing 1-0 to the host’s Police Bullets WFC.
This defeat significantly hampers their hopes of advancing past the group stage in the ongoing tournament.
The game’s only goal came in the 46th minute, courtesy of Emily Kamunto Morango. A poorly timed clearance by Kampala Queen’s custodian, Daisy Nakaziro allowed Morango to easily head the ball into an empty net, giving the Kenyan side the advantage only a minute into second stanza.
With this loss, the Queens will face an uphill battle to escape the group that has only three teams and needs only the table leader to knock out stage.
The defeat compounds their struggles from the 2023 tournament, where they also failed to progress past the group stage while hosting the event in Kampala.
For Kenya Police Bullets, the victory sees them rise to the top of the group with three points. A single point in their next match against Denden will be enough to secure a spot in the semifinals.
Tactically, the Kampala Queens looked out of sync throughout the 90 minutes. They were fortunate not to concede more goals in the first half, which was dominated by the Kenyan side.
Despite having more possession, the Kenyan club failed to capitalize on their chances. However, the former Kampala Queens and forward at Crested Cranes, Margaret Kunihira was the woman with the best show on the day, hugely disorganized Asefa’s girls throughout the entire encounter.
Kampala Queens hoped for a stronger second-half performance, making several substitutions, however, despite the changes, they were unable to break through the Kenyan defense or alter the course of the game.
Kampala Queens starting list:
Daisy Nakaziro (GK), Esther Namusoke,Wujja Catherine,Amangat Marion, Shakira Nakwanga ©,Shamusa Najjuma ,Peace Muduwa ,Tarist Lema ,Joanita Ainembabazi,Meadin Sehilu,Jamirah Nabulime.