Muteesa 1 Royal University Hand Mugagga Tough Welcome in Pepsi UFL Opener

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Muteesa 1 Royal University 3-0 Bugema University

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Defending champions Muteesa 1 Royal University handed Bugema University head coach Andrew Mugagga a tough welcome to the Pepsi University Football League (UFL), cruising to a 3-0 victory in the 2026-2027 season opener.

The match was played on Thursday, October 22, at Hamz Stadium Nakivubo War Memorial, with the defending champions demonstrating their quality to secure a convincing victory.

Shabiri Lubega opened the scoring after completing a move initiated by Ivan Ochan, who drove forward and beat Bashir Kasibante over a distance of more than 40 yards before setting up the goalscorer inside the six-yard box. Lubega made no mistake, beating Bugema University goalkeeper Nasser Kalulu to give Muteesa 1 Royal University the lead.

The Masaka-based university went into the break with a 1-0 advantage before Erick Kakande doubled the lead just four minutes into the second half. Kakande reacted quickest to a rebound following sustained pressure inside the Bugema University penalty area.

The team coached by Tony Mawejje continued to exploit gaps in Bugema University’s defence, with Ivan Ochan and Erick Kakande influential in the attacking areas, while last season’s Most Valuable Player, Ali Lutwama, dictated play in midfield.

Samuel Mutambo then added the third goal, shooting past the goalkeeper, whom he caught off his line as he attempted to close him down, to seal an emphatic victory for the defending champions.

Following several changes, Bugema introduced Derrick Musinguzi and Jonah Mwandah in place of Innocent Tumuhimbise and Andrew Ssenyong in an attempt to improve their attacking threat. On the other side, Tony Mawejje also made changes, withdrawing both players who had been operating on the flanks.

Bugema gradually found ways to create opportunities, with Mwandah producing three efforts that forced Muteesa 1 Royal University goalkeeper Kayanja Joram into several important saves to preserve his clean sheet.

Despite the defeat, Mugagga remained optimistic about his team’s prospects, insisting that Bugema would work on its attacking play ahead of the remaining matches.

“It is unfortunate that we started with a loss. Our team played well, but we are going back to improve on the way we create chances and take them. We remain focused and hopeful of winning our remaining five games,” Mugagga said.

On the winning side, head coach Tony Mawejje described the result as an important step towards the team’s mission of retaining the title, while acknowledging that his players were still working towards achieving full team chemistry.

“This is a great statement for our mission to defend the trophy. We are still getting the chemistry of the team right, but the boys showed character at the start and picked up this important result,” Mawejje said.

The 2026-2027 Pepsi University Football League continues on Friday, October 23, with newcomers University of World Mission Frontier making their debut against Makerere University Business School in Nsangi.