Fort Portal City made a strong start to their 5th Tooro Kingdom MTN Masaza Tournament campaign with impressive victories in both football and netball, while Sunday’s goalless draw between Bunyangabu and Mwenge South kept the race for the knockout stages wide open.
The weekend attracted thousands of fans across the kingdom, who turned up to enjoy exciting football, netball and community celebrations.
Fort Portal dominate at home
Matchday Three kicked off on Friday at Buhinga Stadium, where Fort Portal City put on a brilliant performance in both sports.
In the netball match, Fort Portal thrashed Mwenge North 68-12 in a Group C fixture to move closer to securing a place in the quarter-finals.
The Group C standings also changed after Ntoroko failed to honour their fixture, giving Mwenge North valuable points that could play a key role in the qualification race.
Mwenge South continue to lead Group A, Kitagwenda top Group B, while Fort Portal City now lead Group C. Kyaka, Burahya and Mwenge North remain in contention for the two best second-placed qualification spots.
Fort Portal continued their fine form in football, defeating Mwenge North 3-0.
The match was attended by Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, who praised the tournament’s role in promoting unity and talent through sport.
Fort Portal controlled the game from the start. Kwezi Boris scored twice, while Kato George added the third goal to complete a comfortable victory.
Kwezi Boris was named MTN Player of the Match and received a UGX 200,000 cash prize through MTN MoMo.
Fort Portal captain Malik Yasin credited the victory to teamwork.
“It was our first game of the tournament and we wanted victory. I am happy that we played as a team and won the game,” he said.
He also thanked the fans and sponsors for supporting the team. “We thank our fans and sponsors who did all they could to ensure that we win the game, though it wasn’t easy.”
Mwenge North coach Vandar Tadeo Apuuli said mistakes cost his team the match. “It wasn’t an easy game, though some few mistakes made us lose the game,” he said.
Goalkeepers shine in Bunyangabu draw
On Sunday, Bunyangabu hosted Mwenge South at a packed Butiiti Playground, where the two sides played out an entertaining 0-0 draw.
Although neither team scored, both created several good chances in a closely contested match.
The result leaves Group A wide open.
Bunyangabu have now drawn their first two matches after also sharing points with Kyaka, while Mwenge South remain in a strong position and can boost their qualification hopes with victory over Kyaka in their next game.
The goalkeepers were the stars of the match. Bunyangabu’s Odong Santos was named MTN Player of the Match and received a UGX 200,000 MTN MoMo cash prize. Mwenge South goalkeeper Sekandi Andrew also earned UGX 100,000 after producing several important saves to keep a clean sheet.
Mwenge South official Jackson Mugisha thanked MTN Uganda and the Tooro Kingdom for organizing a successful tournament. “We are happy with MTN and Tooro Kingdom officials who have organised this high-level tournament that has attracted fans from across the entire kingdom. Even when we have secured a draw, we are sure we shall improve our performance in the next game.
The home team was good, though we missed several opportunities,” he said.
Bunyangabu goalkeeper Santos Odong said his team is still confident of winning the title.
“We have good players and we’ve been playing good games since the start of the tournament. We need the trophy this time round,” he said.
MTN Brand Ambassador Prime Longino also praised the people of Bunyangabu for turning up in large numbers, saying their support reflects the growing popularity of the Tooro Kingdom MTN Masaza Tournament.
Both teams thanked MTN Uganda for sponsoring the tournament and rewarding outstanding players and fans.
With the group stage gathering momentum, Fort Portal City have sent a strong message to their rivals in both football and netball. At the same time, every point is proving crucial as teams continue battling for places in the knockout stages of the Tooro Kingdom MTN Masaza Tournament.
