Uganda Cranes’ fairytale in the African Nations Champions came to an end on a cold and sad evening.
The Cranes kick-started the tournament with a 3-0 loss to Algeria, but then secured back-to-back 3-0 and 2-0 wins against Guinea and Niger, respectively. They concluded the group stage with a dramatic 3-3 stalemate against South Africa to reach thelast eight.
Morley Byekwaso’s men walked into Saturday’s clash with positive vibes and energy, but their historic run was brought to an end by Senegal.
Oummar Ba’s second-half strike was enough as the defending champions secured a slot in the semifinals of the ongoing tournament.
Uganda suffered a big blow when Jude Ssemugabi was stretchered off the playing ground after suffering a thigh injury.
The Cranes had a significant share of ball possession in the opening period with midfielder Karim Watambala testing Senegalese goalkeeper Marc Diouf’s gloves.
After a goalless first half, Oumar broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute and Namboole went silent.
The forward latched onto a poorly defended ball at the far post, slotting it past goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa.
With seven minutes to play, Uganda put to waste a clear-cut chance as Arnold Odong guided the ball above the frame.
Gavin Kizito and Usama Arafat were late to get contact on Herbert Achayi’s delivery in the 88th minute as the Cranes crashed out.
The co-hosts of the tournament have all been ripped off the core as Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania end at the quarterfinals. draft for me a news article