NEC saw off URA 4-1 in the Premier League's fourth regular season round on Tuesday, a result that tightened their grip on second place while URA's struggles continued. The hosts took an early lead and never looked back, though the statistics told a different story about who controlled the ball.
Mugulusi opened the scoring in the second minute, catching URA asleep. Jarieko doubled the advantage fourteen minutes in, and by then the visitors had already surrendered their composure. Two yellow cards for NEC showed the physical toll, but the scoreboard reflected efficiency rather than chaos.
The second half unfolded as a one-sided affair. Basangwa struck in the forty-second minute, Lubwama added a fourth in the forty-fourth, and Basangwa completed his brace five minutes later. One mistake ends it, and URA made too many of them. Their goalkeeper faced eight shots on target and managed just two saves.
URA dominated possession at fifty-seven per cent but could not convert their advantage. They registered seven corners to NEC's two and twice as many free kicks, yet their six off-target shots revealed a team searching for an answer. NEC's eight shots on target against two for the visitors said everything about who created real chances.
The table now shows NEC on ten points from four games, three wins and a draw. URA sit eleventh with three points from three matches and two defeats. The gap between them widens, and the hosts will feel this result confirms their standing.
We had given NEC the win at fifty-one per cent confidence, and the match played out as expected. Not because of possession or corners, but because the hosts kept their heads when it mattered. URA handed a debut of sorts to pressure they could not handle.