By 
Jimmy Kalema needed just two minutes to turn Kitara FC’s misery into joy. The forward struck twice in a frantic first half spell as Kitara overturned an early deficit to beat Mogadishu City 2-1 in the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round first leg at Hoima City Stadium on Sunday.
Mogadishu City, forced to play their home tie in Hoima because Somalia has no approved stadium, looked set for a dream start when Akram Ilyaas fired them ahead.
Abdulkadir Osman Mohamed picked out Ilyaas after a neat move, and the forward cut into the box before beating Meddie Kibirige.
Then came Kalema. In the 33rd minute, he raced onto a through ball and saw his first effort saved. He refused to give up, pouncing on the rebound and squeezing it home between the defender and the post.
Barely 60 seconds later, Kitara were in front. Kabon Living delivered a measured cross and Kalema rose to meet it, powering his header into the net to complete a stunning turnaround.
Mogadishu thought they had hit back immediately after the break, but their effort was chalked off for offside.
Kitara survived further scares as they failed to put the game to bed. Gaddafi Wahab headed wide from a glorious position, while Patrick Kaddu missed a one-on-one in the 85th minute.
Those misses could yet prove costly, but Kitara held on to take a narrow lead into next week’s return leg, again in Hoima.
The stakes could hardly be higher. The winner on aggregate will face Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
