The air in Kitende was thick with defiance, but it was Power Dynamos who slithered away with a 2-1 victory, leaving Vipers SC staring at a cliff.
The first leg of the Caf Champions League second preliminary round was a tale of grit, guile, and a cruel own goal by Derrick Ndahiro that handed the Zambians a slender but significant edge.
Now, as the Venoms prepare for Friday’s return leg in Kitwe, the task is stark: a 2-0 win, or better, to reach the group stages.
Yunus Sentamu’s early second-half strike had briefly ignited St Mary’s Stadium, Kitende.
For a heartbeat, hope surged through the stands, bolstered by the Vipers’ defiance against Fufa’s recently reversed league reforms.
But Moses Sumah’s swift reply and Ndahiro’s fateful deflection doused the flames, leaving the home side to chase the game in vain.
All to play for
Jacky Ivan Minnaert, Vipers’ Belgian tactician, radiates belief despite the setback.
‘We are Venoms, we are Vipers,’ he declared, his words laced with the kind of stubborn optimism that fuels comebacks.
‘We believe 200-percent that nothing is done. The positives that we carry on from here is that we have 90 minutes to play.’
Minnaert insists his side showed no lack of fitness, pressing high even in the dying embers of the game and chasing an equaliser that never came.
He points to their 1-0 win over African Stars of Namibia as proof that the Venoms can strike on foreign soil.
Defiant Dynamo
Power Dynamos, however, are no mere prey. Coach Osward Mukuka Mutupa spoke of a ‘mission’ fulfilled in Uganda, his team’s resolve unyielding despite falling behind.
‘We could have lost, drawn, or won,’ he said, ‘but we won.’ Sumah’s clinical finish and Ndahiro’s own goal were rewards for their tenacity, but Mutupa knows the tie hangs in the balance.
‘This is not the end of the game,’ he cautioned, aware that Vipers’ venom could yet sting in Kitwe, ‘it’s only half time, but we are a team on a mission.’
The Venoms’ task is monumental, but not impossible. They must harness the spirit that saw them rally against Fufa’s controversial reforms, a fight that united fans and bystanders alike.
In Zambia, they’ll need more than heart – precision, nerve, and a touch of ruthlessness will decide their fate. Vipers must bite back or try again next year.
Caf Champions League
First Leg Result
Vipers SC 1-2 Power Dynamos
Second leg, Friday 24, 2025
Power Dynamos vs Vipers SC