Uganda Cranes played their second game of the TotalEnergies CHAN 2024 today at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, where they beat Guinea 3-0. The Cranes fought hard and brought joy to their fans, who cheered loudly in the stands.
The first goal came in the 31st minute when SC Villa winger Reagan Mpande, making his maiden CHAN appearance, gave Uganda the lead with a fine assist from KCCA midfielder Joel Serunjoji, who is also playing in his first CHAN tournament.
The first yellow card of the match came in the 55th minute after Vipers SC centre-back Hillary Mukundane was fouled.
In the 61st minute, Uganda extended their lead through Allan Okello’s spot-kick after he was fouled in the 18-yard box and awarded a penalty following a VAR check.
In the 78th minute, Ivan Ahimbisibwe, making his maiden appearance, was introduced and later made it 3-0 with a fine finish from a Patrick Jonah Kakande assist.
Uganda Cranes coach Morley Byekwaso reacted to the team’s performance, highlighting the positives.
‘We went back to the drawing board, made some changes in our line-up and performed better. It’s not yet over; we still have two games to play and our dream is still alive to go past the group stages.’
Speaking about the captaincy, Byekwaso said, ‘We saw the captain’s armband limiting Allan Okello from doing what he is capable of. We told Torach to take over the role and he has done really well. We can build from that.’
He also thanked the fans for their unwavering support. ‘I want to thank the fans for always coming in big numbers. What amazed me is that this time we had even more than in the first game. Fans put a little pressure on us but also motivated the players to keep going. I call upon them to continue supporting us until the very end.’
Goal scorer and man of the match Allan Okello thanked the coaches for their belief. ‘The coaches kept telling us we could still do it. They told us to fight until the last whistle. I feel good to be man of the match, but I credit all my teammates because we’ve done this together. We still have a long way to go because our competitors have four points, we have three, and we need to push to fulfil our dream of getting past the group stage.’
He added, ‘We thank the fans for always loving and supporting us. We promise to do our best so we can give them the happiness they deserve.’
Uganda Cranes will face Niger on Monday 11th August 2025 and play South Africa in their final group match on Friday 18th August 2025.
Credit: FUFA
