Vipers SC continued their strong push near the summit of the Uganda Premier League with a gritty 2-1 away victory over Lugazi FC at Lugazi Stadium in Najjembe on Wednesday afternoon.
The Venoms struck early through Usama Arafat before Yunus Sentamu sealed what proved to be the decisive goal in the second half. Lugazi threatened a late comeback when Ashraf Mulindi found the net, but the hosts ultimately ran out of time.
Vipers wasted little time asserting themselves, taking the lead inside the opening ten minutes. Milton Karisa unleashed a goal-bound effort that forced Lugazi goalkeeper Juma Mutebi into a hurried intervention, but his parry fell kindly into the path of Usama, who made no mistake from close range to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
Right place. Right time. Left foot.
Usama Arafat Kiza 🙌🏿#VenomsUpdates || #OneTeamOneDream || pic.twitter.com/3R7VbrbvJ8
— 𝐕𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 (@VipersSC) December 18, 2025
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Odili Chukwuma found space and drove a low shot towards goal, only to be denied by the outside of the post in the 20th minute.
Lugazi survived that scare but continued to face sustained pressure. Karim Watambala tested Mutebi again in the 35th minute with a fierce long-range strike, though the goalkeeper responded confidently to keep his side in the contest heading into the break.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Vipers probing patiently for a second goal. Their persistence paid off in the 74th minute when Yunus Sentamu showed great composure, delicately lifting the ball over the advancing Mutebi before watching it trickle into an unguarded net.
Lugazi refused to surrender without a fight and were rewarded late on when Ashraf Mulindi pulled one back in the 89th minute, injecting brief hope into the home crowd. However, the late strike proved insufficient to alter the outcome as Vipers held firm to claim all three points.
Ball over the top ✅
Yunus Sentamu loops it over the goalkeeper ➰
A wonderful ball from Robin Kane Hney 👏🏿#VenomsUpdates || #OneTeamOneDream || pic.twitter.com/9RwSq3VnJ7
— 𝐕𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 (@VipersSC) December 18, 2025
The win lifts Vipers SC to second place on the league standings with 24 points from 10 matches, maintaining pressure on the leaders. Lugazi, meanwhile, remain in the lower reaches of the table, sitting 14th with 10 points after 11 games.
