Friday, August 23*Al Hilal Benghazi 3-2 Kitara(Agg: 6-4)
Kitara FC’s maiden journey in the CAF Confederation Cup came to an end at the preliminary round following a 3-2 defeat to Libyan side Al Hilal Benghazi in the second leg on Friday.
The match, played at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium in Benghazi, sealed Kitara’s fate with a 6-4 aggregate loss.
Despite the early exit, Kitara’s efforts were commendable, especially considering the challenges they faced, including having to host both legs in Benghazi due to the unavailability of Namboole and Kitende.
Titus Ssematimba
In Friday’s match, Kitara showed resilience, with goals from Titus Ssematimba and Denis Omedi, but they fell short against a well-organized Al Hilal Benghazi side.
Mohamed Bin Salem opened the scoring for the hosts in the 40th minute, heading in a rebound after a cross ricocheted off the crossbar.
Kitara responded in the second half, with Ssematimba leveling the score in the 57th minute. After receiving a pass from Eric Muber, he cleverly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
However, Al Hilal Benghazi regained control through Mauritanian forward Hemeya Tanjy, who scored twice to put the game out of Kitara’s reach.
Omedi’s late header off a Living Kabob corner in the 80th minute offered some hope, but it was too little, too late for the Ugandan side who at that stage needed two more goals to qualify.
With this result, Al Hilal Benghazi advances to the second preliminary round, where they will face Egypt’s Al Masry, who received a bye in the previous stage.
Kitara FC, under the guidance of coach Brian Ssenyondo, will now turn their attention to the domestic league as they prepare for the upcoming Uganda Premier League season.
