KAMPALA (Interstat) — NEC FC defeated visiting Ntugasaze 5-1 on Tuesday at MTN Omondi Stadium, responding to an early deficit with five unanswered goals and pulling away after halftime. James Jarienko scored twice for NEC FC, which improved to 2-1-1 in the competition and 2-1-1 across all competitions. Ntugasaze dropped to 1-2-1 in the competition and 1-2-1 across all competitions. The home side scored once in the 19th minute, once in the 45th, once in the 68th, once in the 73rd and once in the 88th after conceding in the fifth.

Ntugasaze opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Jerome Otim found the net. Otim played 90 minutes and finished with one goal. NEC FC answered in the 19th minute through Ibrahim Musa, who also played 90 minutes and scored once. Jarienko put NEC FC ahead in the 45th minute and added another in the 73rd minute. Jarienko played 90 minutes and finished with two goals and was the top star for NEC FC.

NEC FC led 2-1 at halftime after Jarienko scored in the 45th minute. Fahad Bayo extended the NEC FC lead in the 68th minute, and Jarienko added his second in the 73rd. M. Oshaba closed the scoring in the 88th minute. Bayo and Oshaba each played 90 minutes and scored one goal. NEC FC controlled the closing stages and protected the result after building a comfortable advantage. The home side’s scoring was spread across Musa, Jarienko, Bayo and Oshaba. Ntugasaze’s Otim was the only visiting player to score, and his early goal gave the visitors a brief lead before NEC FC took command.

Ntugasaze had entered the match after a scoreless draw at Kitara, a 0-2 home loss to Kampala City and a 1-0 home win over Mbarara City. NEC FC had previously lost 1-2 at BUL FC, won 2-0 at Kigezi HomeBoyz and drawn 0-0 at home against Express FC. Those results framed a contest in which NEC FC’s season records in the competition and across all competitions remained identical, while Ntugasaze’s competition and overall records also stayed level with each other. Ntugasaze’s record in the competition is now 1 win, 2 losses and 1 draw, and its record across all competitions is also 1 win, 2 losses and 1 draw. NEC FC’s competition record is now 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw, and its record across all competitions is also 2 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw.

NEC FC finished with five goals from four different scorers, while Ntugasaze’s lone goal came from Otim in the fifth minute. Jarienko’s two-goal effort led the home attack, and Musa, Bayo and Oshaba each added one goal. Otim’s goal was the only score for the visitors, who were unable to add to their early breakthrough. NEC FC’s victory came after it fell behind early, and the match unfolded with the home side scoring five times after conceding first. Ntugasaze did not score again after the fifth minute. NEC FC protected its lead through the final stages. The game at MTN Omondi Stadium in Kampala finished with NEC FC scoring five goals total and Ntugasaze scoring one goal total.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of NEC FC 1, Ntugasaze 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected NEC FC with a 93.6 percent probability to win. NEC FC had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 6 went under the over/under line of 2.5.