Kitara suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Police FC in their FUFA Super 8 return leg on Thursday night at Hamz Nakivubo Stadium, but it wasn’t enough to derail their march into the semi-finals.
Before kickoff, both sides observed a moment of silence in memory of fallen Sports Club Villa captain David Owori, who tragically passed away on Wednesday from injuries sustained in an attack by unknown assailants.
The Royals had arrived at this fixture cushioned by a commanding 4-0 first leg lead picked up last weekend, and even in defeat, they progressed to the last four on a 4-1 aggregate scoreline.
Police were the sharper side early on, carving out two clear cut chances in the first half that were snuffed out by a well organized Kitara backline marshaled by Benjamin Nyakoojo and Issa Lumu. The latter making his return to the lineup after being rested for the first leg.
Kitara had their moments too, particularly in the second half, but it was the Cops who eventually found the breakthrough. Bedia Ikamba broke the deadlock in the 67th minute, finishing off a delightful setup from Ivan Mayanja to hand Police a consolatory victory on the night.
Kitara coach Wasswa Bbosa used this tie to rotate his squad heavily, making nine changes and retaining only forward Jimmy Kalema and defender Nyakoojo from the side that started the first leg.
Uganda Cranes goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa, experienced striker Karim Ndugwa, left back Jackson Ssembatya, Christopher Bonney and Missi Diego Ssemugera all made their full debuts, while Gaddafi Wahab and John Bosco Byaruhanga also got their first taste of Super 8 action for the club.
Kitara will now turn their attention to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the KCCA FC vs BUL FC tie :a stage on which the Royals will be eager to get back to winning ways.