Uganda must avoid failure to win on the trot

Published on: 12 November 2014
Uganda must avoid failure to win on the trot
Team Uganda . Backrow L-R . Geofrey Kizito , Denis Iguma , Savio Kabugo , Robert Odongkara , Joseph Ochaya , Isaac IsindeFront Row ,L-R . Godfrey Walusimbi , Hamis Kiiza , Faruk Miya . Ivan Ntege , Brian Umony .

It is not a lost cause. At least as mathematics goes, Uganda just have to beat Ghana on Saturday, see off Guinea next Wednesday in Casablanca, Morocco and they will have qualified for the Nations Cup for the first time since 1978.

That is the ideal world. But the challenge coach Micho Sredojevic and his Cranes face is making it practical.

Having failed to arrest the third game bother (of Cranes always struggling in third games of campaigns) as Uganda succumbed 1-0 to Togo at Namboole, the hosts must not let the back-to-back bug pass.

Uganda can draw and still remain in contention but that will leave it out of their hands.

They must beat Ghana and Guinea to be sure of progress and if they do, it will be only the third time Uganda have registered two back-to-back wins since group stages were introduced in the 1992 qualification.

Then – with the back-to-back games all in Kampala, Uganda beat DR Congo (then Zaire) 2-1 on September 1, 1990 before edging Tanzania 3-2 in April the following year.

In the 2012 qualification, Uganda beat Guinea Bissau away and followed it with a 2-0 victory over the West Africans at Namboole.

Although on the aforementioned occasions the Cranes didn’t qualify, two victories this time will see them progress. But what a challenge! “I think we can win them,” defender Simeon Masaba, who was in the Cranes team that beat Guinea Bissau home and away, told Daily Monitor yesterday.

“But it is the players to take more responsibility, added Masaba. “Yes the coach will do his job but he can only be on the bench. Of course these two games against Ghana, who are leading the table (with eight points and third-placed Uganda on four), and Guinea away are much tougher than Guinea Bissau and that is where players’ concentration will be key.”

Elsewhere, the Black Stars, who will be captained by Andre Ayew in Gyan Asamoah’s absence, are expected in the country tomorrow evening.

Cranes’ back-to-back wins since 1990  1992 Afcon qualifiers September 1, 1990: Uganda 2–1 Zaire April 14, 1991: Uganda 3–2 Tanzania

2012 Afcon qualifiers March 26, 2011: G. Bissau 0-1 Uganda June 4 2011: Uganda 2-0 G. Bissau

RESULTS SHOWING UGANDA’S INEFFICIENCY IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: 

2000 Afcon qualifiers October 2 1998: Uganda 2–1 Algeria January 24 1999: Liberia 2–0 Uganda February 27 1999: Tunisia 6–0 Uganda April 10 1999: Uganda 0–2 Tunisia June 5 1999: Uganda 1–0 Liberia June 20 1999: Algeria 2–0 Uganda 2002 Afcon qualifiers October 8 2000: Togo 3–0 Uganda January 13 2001: Uganda 1–1 Senegal March 24 2001: Senegal 3–0 Uganda June 2 2001: Uganda 0-3 Togo

2004 Afcon qualifiers

September 7 2002: Uganda 1–0 Ghana March 29 2003: Rwanda 0–0 Uganda June 22 2003: Ghana 1–1 Uganda

2006 Afcon/WC qualifiers

June 6 2004: Uganda 1–0 DR Congo June 19 2004: Cape Verde 1–0 Uganda July 3 2004: Uganda 1–1 Ghana September 4 2004: B. Faso 2–0 Uganda October 10 2004: Uganda 0–1 S. Africa March 26 2005: S. Africa 2–1 Uganda June 5 2005: DR Congo 4–0 Uganda 18 June 2005: Uganda 1–0 C. Verde September 4 2005: Ghana 2–0 Uganda October 8 2005: Uganda 2–2 B. Faso

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