Plot 28, Oyaka Bule Road, Gulu City - Uganda
Plot 28, Oyaka Bule Road, Gulu City - Uganda
Gulu- Kumalo Sports Academy Under-14 secured a 2–1 victory over Mass Villa Football Academy Under-14 in a closely contested football encounter held on Wednesday at Bishop Angelo Negri College playground.
Opakrwot Elvis opened the scoring for Mass Villa Football Academy in the 12th minute, giving his side an early lead over their opponents.
The first half was tense and closely contested, with Mass Villa Football Academy maintaining their narrow advantage after taking an early lead. Kumalo Sports Academy U-14 pushed hard in search of an equaliser, but Mass Villa Football Academy’s defence held firm to preserve a 1–0 lead at the break.
The second half began with intensity as Mass Villa Football Academy continued to dominate proceedings. However, a foul on Samuel by a Mass Villa defender inside the area earned Kumalo Sports Academy U-14 a penalty. Samuel stepped up to take the spot-kick and calmly converted in the 47th minute to bring the game level at 1–1.
Samuel completed the comeback for Kumalo Sports Academy in the 55th minute, scoring the winning goal after receiving a well-timed pass from Megolonyo Godfrey.
Fans applauded both teams for their efforts in nurturing young football talent, while calling for continued investment and development programmes to help the players grow into professional footballers.
Kumalo Sports Head Coach, Gilbert Mwaka is confident the young players will continue to improve and deliver better performances as they adapt to the team’s style of play.
Mwaka added that the friendly matches are also aimed at identifying areas of weakness in the players and addressing them through targeted training. He said the approach is intended to strengthen the youngsters’ skills and prepare them for future opportunities in professional football.
Ojara Bosco, caretaker of Mass Villa Football Academy, described the defeat as part of the learning process, urging the young players to remain focused, learn from the experience and work harder to secure better results in their upcoming matches.
Looking ahead, Kumalo Sports, together with its partner Friends of Football Star Academy, plans to organise another friendly match for children under the Kumalo Sports programme before the reopening of schools for the third term. The initiative is aimed at giving the young players more competitive exposure and opportunities to further develop their football skills.
