Afcon Group L results
Lesotho 0-2 Uganda
Tanzania 2-0 Cape Verde
Faruku Miya struck a brace as Uganda Cranes easily completed a double over Lesotho to edge ever closer to sealing a second successive Nations Cup qualification on Tuesday.
The former Uganda Premier League (UPL) player with Vipers got his second and third goals in four days for a 2-0 victory in Maseru to all but have Uganda in Cameroon next June.
But because of Tanzania’s 2-0 home victory over Cape Verde, Uganda’s qualification confirmation will be delayed at least until next month when the Cranes host Cape Verde.
Victories for both Uganda and Tanzania moved Cranes to 10 points and Taifa Stars to five.
This implies that the two, and Cape Verde could all possibly play on to the final day to determine the teams to qualify from Group L.
However, a draw with Cape Verde on November 16 will just confirm Uganda’s seventh Nations Cup finals and their second successive one.
Like Miya, the team are now playing with habitual confidence. With the experience from playing at Afcon finals last year, the boys played like big boys – never shying from expressing themselves.
At Setsoto Stadium, Maseru on Tuesday evening, Uganda came into this game knowing that anything short of victory would have invited Tanzania and Cape Verde firmly back into the equation.
They needed to attack and attack they did. Starting his first qualification game for Uganda, Cape Town City’s Allan Kateregga charged at the hosts through the middle, beating two bodies before releasing Miya.
The Gorinca FC (Croatia) forward, Miya, controlled and unleashed a fierce drive on the edge of the 18-yeard area for Uganda’s sixth minute lead.
Ugandan fans jubilated and Cranes coach Sebastien Desabre clenched both his fists, arms aloft.
Miya should have made it 2-0 on 13 minutes when he latched onto a searching ball but he skied it from close range.
A would have been third saw Kateregga’s placed shot off an Emmanuel Okwi cut-back cleared off the line by Mafa Moremoholo.
Kateregga was one of three changes Desabre made from the team that played the first leg in Kampala, returning Murushid Jjuuko and Patrick Kaddu the others.
The hosts almost pulled one back on 27 minutes but Bokang Sello’s free kick was punched away by a laser focused Denis Onyango in Uganda’s goal.
For every action there is a reaction. Uganda broke the other end, Okwi dancing past Moremoholo down the left.
Beaten, the Lesotho skipper hacked the two-goal hero in Kampala down, forcing Comoros referee li Mohammed Adelaid to award a free kick and book the defender.
Step forward Miya on his 54th cap for the national team.
The forward, who has endured tough time after failing to get playing time at Standard Liege in Belgian before a couple of loan spells elsewhere, sweetly curved in his 21th Cranes goal for a 2-0 lead on 35 minutes.
Desabre turned and landed in an embrace with his staff. Job well done!
A glimpse of the kind of football he has been talking about has been seen over the two legs.
However, despite not conceding in all four matches so far, the Cranes have showed some nerves in defence, and a more decisive strike force could have punished Uganda over these two legs.
The Cranes survived a penalty when Jjuuko kicked at Masoabi Synous Nkoto midway the second half but the referee waived appeals away.
It was an almost perfect away performance for Desabre’s men, the only downside being Okwi’s booking for dissent. Okwi will miss the tie against Cape Verde next month.
Uganda starting XI: Denis Onyango (Capt), Nico Wakiro Wadada, Godfrey Walusimbi, Hassan Wasswa Mawanda, Murushid Juuko, Dennis Iguma, Emmanuel Okwi, Khalid Aucho, Faruku Miya (Moses Waiswa), Allan Kateregga (Isaac Muleme), Patrick Kaddu (Edrisa Lubega)
Unused substitutes: Jamal Salim (G.K), Charles Lukwago (G.K), Isaac Isinde, Timothy Denis Awany, Joseph Benson Ochaya, Ibrahim Sadam Juma, Tadeo Lwanga, Milton Karisa, Allan Kyambadde, Derrick Nsibambi
