Uganda Cup final: Can Police dent Vipers' double ambitions?

Vipers Sports Club celebrate their league coronation for for the sixth time | Vipers Image

FOOTBALL Uganda Cup final: Can Police dent Vipers' double ambitions?

Shafic Kiyaga • 18:16 - 02.06.2023

The stage is set for an electrifying showdown as Vipers SC and Police FC prepare to face off in the Stanbic Uganda Cup Final at the Akii Bua Stadium.

The stage is set for an electrifying showdown as Vipers SC and Police FC prepare to face off in the Stanbic Uganda Cup Final at the Akii Bua Stadium.

Vipers SC, fresh off their StarTimes Uganda Premier League triumph, are aiming to secure a historic League and Cup double.

However, Police FC, eager to make their mark in history, stands in their way. With both teams motivated and determined, a thrilling encounter awaits in Lira on Saturday.

Fresh off their fifth league triumph, Vipers aim to secure a historic double that will elevate their status level to SC Villa, Express and KCCA as the other clubs to win the double.

Their journey to the final marks their third consecutive appearance in the Uganda Cup final, having also played in the 2021 and 2022 finals.

Vipers SC suffered a heart-wrenching 3-1 defeat to BUL FC in the Cup final, denying them the double last season, while they had secured an emphatic 8-1 victory over BUL in 2021.

The Venoms are under the guidance of Alex Isabirye, who inflicted that final defeat last year and suffered defeat against his current side in Njeru.

He will be looking to add to his impressive list of Cup victories, having also won the title with Victoria University, URA, and BUL.

Isabirye expressed his determination, stating, "We have the motivation and hunger to secure the double. We know the challenge Police FC poses, but we are ready to give it our all and etch our names in Ugandan football history."

Despite facing setbacks this season, including failure to gain promotion back to the top flight, the Cops aims to create their own legacy by claiming the Uganda Cup.

Head coach Angelo Lonyesi draws inspiration from the club's past glories, recalling their league triumph in 2005 and their journey to the CECAFA Club Championship final in 2006.

Lonyesi conveyed his team's determination, affirming, "We have been in similar situations before and emerged victorious."

"This final is an opportunity for us to make amends and leave a lasting mark. We will approach it with the same hunger and desire that led us to success in the past."

This will be only the second time that Police plays the final game of this competition, losing their only previous final 3-1 to Express in 2003.

For the Vipers, it will be their seventh final, losing four of those finals – incredibly to Isabirye's teams on three occasions – while they have won it on two occasions prior.

First, they defeated Onduparaka in 2016 at Nakivubo before setting the record for the most goals scored in a final when they hammered BUL 8-1 at Njeru.

Police is the fourth club from the second division to reach the Uganda Cup final since 2016.

Two of those (Onduparaka FC and Paidha Black Angels) were defeated in the final, while Proline FC lifted the trophy in 2019.

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