The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
TODAY
5pm: Tanzania ?? vs Cape Verde ??
7pm: Uganda ?? vs Lesotho ??
Standings Group L
Uganda 3 2 1 0 4 0 7
C. Verde 3 1 1 1 4 2 4
Lesotho 3 0 2 1 2 5 2
Tanzania 3 0 2 1 1 4 2
Maseru, Lesotho | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Cranes will be all out to try and stop Lesotho this evening at the Setsoto Stadium in Maseru to book an early slot for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Cranes are top of Group L with seven points after their 1-0 away win against Cape Verde, 0-0 draw with Tanzania last month and the convincing 3-0 win over the Crocodiles of Lesotho last Saturday.
Victory for coach Sebastien Desabre’s team and a win for Cape Verde against Tanzania will see Uganda Cranes qualify even before playing the remaining two games.
The win will see Uganda move to ten points, while Cape Verde’s victory will also see them move to seven points. Because Tanzania and Lesotho have two points each, the best they can collect is eight points which is far away from what the Cranes would have collected just in-case they suffer defeat in the remaining two games.
“We need to win the game and be assured of qualification instead of waiting for the two games after,” Desabre told URN on Tuesday.
“For some players it’s one time in a life time to qualify for the AFCON and this therefore calls for hard work to win the game,” he added.
Desabre said playing on an artificial surface will not be a problem because many of his players know how to adjust to that surface. “For Lesotho they have an advantage because they are playing at home. But we shall fight because we know what this games means for us,” added the head coach.
But the Lesotho coach Moses Maliehe says Uganda Cranes should not expect an easy game.
“We are wounded Crocodiles. After losing 3-0 last week in Uganda, we are hurting and know how to answer back,” Maliehe told URN on Monday afternoon in Maseru.
“Teams have not had it easy playing on our home pitch and Uganda should wait for their toughest test,” added Maliehe.
“We badly need to win and call upon our fans to come out in large numbers to motivate us to win the game. I know we are facing a tough side, but we can get maximum points,” said winger Tumelo Khatlang.
Ugandan Members of Parliament Annet Anita Among (Bukedea Woman MP), Micheal Tusiime (Mbarara Municiparlity MP), Peter Ogwang (Usuk County) and Ogwal Benson Obua (Moroto County) together with National Council of Sports Board Chairman John Bosco Onyik and the Acting General Secretary Dr. Patrick Ogwel are also in Maseru to cheer the team.
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SOURCE URN
Total AFCON Qualifiers results from last week
??6-0??
??3-0??
??0-1??
??4-0??
??1-2??
??1-2??
??1-0??
??3-0??
??1-0??
??3-0??
Uganda hammers Lesotho
A double from Tanzanian-based striker Emma Okwi gave Uganda Cranes an emphatic victory over visiting Lesotho ‘The Crocodiles’ at the weekend.
Saturday’s victory at Mandela Stadium, Namboole sees Uganda go three points clear in their group. This is the first home victory in the the qualifiers for new coach Sebastien Desabre.
Okwi struck in the 10th and 63rd minute, with Faruku Miya securing the second. The two sides meet on Tuesday, and another win will virtually secure a place in next year’s Nations Cup final.
Nearest challengers Tanzania were humiliated yesterday by Cape Verde.
Uganda Cranes proudly donned the newly designed jersey, manufactured by kits company Mafro for the first time.
Museveni boost
Early in the week, the team got a big boost when they were hosted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House Entebbe at a function he organized to celebrate the 56th Independence Day.
In a jovial mood, the President discussed football matters with the contingent before he announced his offer of a chartered flight to fly the Cranes to Maseru for the reverse fixture against Lesotho to be played on Tuesday 16th October, 2018.
President Museveni also offered the Uganda Cranes contingent to State House a financial boost of UGX 200M (Two Hundred Million Shillings).
‘The support from the President is a sign that he follows and loves sports. Football has been picking good results partly because of such support from the fountain of honour and office of Education and Sports. This offer will help the team fly in time to Maseru for the game’ said Mugisha.
Collated Africa Cup of Nations qualifying results:
Group B
At Yaounde
Cameroon 1 (Choupo-Moting 63) Malawi 0
Standings (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
Cameroon 3 2 1 0 3 1 7
Morocco 2 1 0 1 3 1 3
Malawi 3 1 0 2 1 4 3
Comoros 2 0 1 1 1 2 1
Fixtures
Saturday: Morocco v Comoros
Tuesday: Comoros v Morocco, Malawi v Cameroon
Group C
At Libreville
Gabon 3 (Bouanga 28, Appidangoye 59, Martin 88-og) South Sudan 0
At Bamako
Mali 0 Burundi 0
Standings
Mali 3 2 1 0 5 1 7
Burundi 3 1 2 0 4 1 5
Gabon 3 1 1 1 5 3 4
S. Sudan 3 0 0 3 0 9 0
Fixtures
Tuesday: Burundi v Mali, South Sudan v Gabon
Group D
At Lome
Togo 1 (Denkey 84) Gambia 1 (Ceesay 7)
At Blida, Algeria
Algeria 2 (Bensebaini 21, Bounedjah 75) Benin 0
Standings
Algeria 3 2 1 0 4 1 7
Benin 3 1 1 1 1 2 4
Gambia 3 0 2 1 2 3 2
Togo 3 0 2 1 1 2 2
Fixtures
Tuesday: Benin v Algeria, Gambia v Togo
Group H
At Conakry
Guinea 2 (Kamano 36-pen, Cisse 73) Rwanda 0
At Bouake, Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast 4 (Kodjia 25, Bailly 52, Doukoure 57, Cornet 74) Central African Republic 0
Standings
Guinea 3 3 0 0 6 2 9
I. Coast 3 2 0 1 8 4 6
C.A.R. 3 1 0 2 2 6 3
Rwanda 3 0 0 3 2 6 0
Fixtures
Tuesday: Rwanda v Guinea, C.A.R. v Ivory Coast
Group I
At Luanda
Angola 4 (Da Costa 12-pen, 16, Campos 52, Gelson 80) Mauritania 1 (Hacen 3)
Standings
Angola 3 2 0 1 6 4 6
Mauritania 3 2 0 1 4 4 6
B. Faso 2 1 0 1 3 3 3
Botswana 2 0 0 2 0 2 0
Fixtures
Saturday: Burkina Faso v Botswana
Tuesday: Mauritania v Angola, Botswana v Burkina Faso
Group J
At Cairo
Egypt 4 (Elmohamady 4, Warda 10, Hassan 29, Salah 45) eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) 1 (Gamedze 85)
Standings
Tunisia 2 2 0 0 3 0 6
Egypt 3 2 0 1 10 2 6
eSwatini 3 0 1 2 1 6 1
Niger 2 0 1 1 0 6 1
Fixtures
Saturday: Tunisia v Niger
Tuesday: eSwatini v Egypt, Niger v Tunisia
Note: group winners and runners-up secure places at finals except for Group B, where 2019 Cup of Nations hosts Cameroon and the highest placed of the other three teams qualify
