NTUGASAZE, Uganda (Interstat) — Jacob Opar scored in the 29th minute and Ntugasaze defeated visiting Mbarara City 1-0 on Wednesday in a football match. Opar, who was on the field for the full 90 minutes, recorded the only goal of the contest. Ntugasaze led from the 29th minute onward and protected the one-goal margin through the final whistle. Mbarara City finished with no goals and could not find an equalizer. The victory gave the home side the result it wanted in its opening competition fixture.

The match’s decisive moment arrived when Opar found the net at 29 minutes. That goal separated the teams for the remainder of the first half and sent Ntugasaze into the break with a 1-0 advantage. Mbarara City, which had conceded the opener, returned for the second half needing at least one goal to level the score. The visitors went into halftime facing a deficit and came out for the second half with the same challenge. Ntugasaze’s early lead allowed the home team to play from in front, while Mbarara City had to chase the game.

Mbarara City’s comeback attempt became more difficult in the 72nd minute when Arinda was shown a red card. The dismissal reduced Mbarara City to 10 players for the closing stages. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mbarara City continued to search for a goal, but Ntugasaze kept the visitors off the scoreboard. The red card was the only sending-off recorded in the match, and it came with the visitors still trailing by one. Ntugasaze did not add another goal after the red card, but it did not need one.

Ntugasaze managed the final minutes without conceding and closed out the 1-0 win. The final whistle confirmed the home side’s victory and handed Mbarara City a loss in its first competition match. No further goals were scored after Opar’s 29th-minute strike, and the scoreline remained unchanged. Ntugasaze’s defense protected the slim lead, while Mbarara City could not produce the finishing touch needed to pull level.

The result moved Ntugasaze to 1-0 in the competition and 1-0 across all competitions. Mbarara City fell to 0-1 in the competition and 0-1 across all competitions. For Ntugasaze, the win represented a positive start to the campaign. For Mbarara City, the defeat left the club without a win after its first match. The records reflect the outcome of a game decided by a single goal and a late red card. The competition record and the all-competitions record for both clubs now mirror each other after the opening match.

Opar’s statline of 90 minutes and one goal included the only score of the game. He found the net at 29 minutes and remained on the field for the entire match. Arinda’s red card at 72 minutes was the other major disciplinary moment. Mbarara City’s inability to score left the visitors with no goals. Ntugasaze, meanwhile, collected the win after scoring once and keeping a clean sheet.

The game featured one goal, one red card and no other scoring plays. Ntugasaze scored in the 29th minute and never relinquished the lead. Mbarara City played the final 18 minutes of regulation with 10 players after Arinda’s dismissal. The visitors could not overcome the deficit, and Ntugasaze secured the victory. The home side’s record in the competition improved to 1-0, while Mbarara City’s competition record dropped to 0-1.

Ntugasaze’s season record in the competition is now 1-0, and its record across all competitions is also 1-0. Mbarara City’s season record in the competition is now 0-1, and its record across all competitions is also 0-1. The match was the first competition fixture for both teams, and it ended with Ntugasaze ahead by one goal. Mbarara City remained scoreless, while Ntugasaze scored once.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ntugasaze 1, Mbarara City 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ntugasaze with a 65.3 percent probability to win. The final score matched the simulator’s projection, and Ntugasaze delivered the result the projection favored. Those projections were part of the pregame information available for the match.