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Throughout the qualifiers, Uganda played one match in front of its home fans, the 1-1 draw with Niger at St. Mary’s Kitende to open the campaign.
The Uganda Cranes will once again watch the Africa Cup of Nations on television following their failure to qualify from the qualifiers that concluded with a 2-0 win over Niger in Marrakech, Morocco, Thursday evening.
Aziz Kayodo and Joseph Ochaya scored for the Cranes in Marrakech, but Uganda’s victory was rendered insufficient the moment the moment Tanzania held their nerves to come away with a goalless draw against Algeria in Algiers.
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Uganda paid the price for a sluggish start to the qualifiers and the lack of threat in front of goal, among other factors.
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23:46 - 07.09.2023
FOOTBALL AFCONQ 2023: Uganda 2-0 Niger Player Ratings
Despite the win, the Cranes failed to qualify for the 2023 AFCON as runners-up, as Tanzania drew 0-0 with Algeria to secure the two qualifying spots.
No home advantage
Throughout the qualifiers, Uganda played one match in front of its home fans, the 1-1 draw with Niger at St. Mary’s Kitende to open the campaign.
The other two home matches were then hosted in Egypt (vs. Tanzania) and Cameroon (vs. Algeria) due to a lack of infrastructure that meets the minimum required standards to host matches of that magnitude.
Both games hosted away from home resulted in defeats for the Cranes, 1-0 loss to Tanzania and 2-1 to Algeria.
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22:28 - 07.09.2023
AFCON2023Q How Tanzania locked Uganda out of finals as they booked their third historic ticket
The draw in the North nullified any hopes the Cranes had following their 2-0 win over Niger in Marrakech, Morocco.
The two wins for Uganda came in away fixtures to Tanzania in Dar es Salam and Niger, who hosted their home match in Morocco.
Whereas two defeats to Algeria did not come as surprises, the 1-0 loss to Tanzania pretty much left the Cranes’ chances of qualification hanging in the balance. It was through that doubleheader that Uganda was expected to take a stride closer to qualification.
But the two East African neighbours split the points to leave Milutin Sredojevic’s charges with two must-win matches to conclude the campaign. The 2-1 loss to Algeria then meant that Uganda needed more than just winning their last match against Niger.
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21:59 - 07.09.2023
AFCON 2023Q Uganda Cranes too strong for Nigers but not good enough for AFCON finals
Algeria topped Group F with a commanding 16 points, while Tanzania secured their place with eight points. The two nations joined Ghana and Angola in sealing their qualification for the 2023 AFCON.
And while they did well with matters they could control, Tanzania picked a valuable point in Algiers to shut the door and deservedly return to AFCON for the first time since 2019 and their third appearance in history.
Blunt forward line
Against Niger, Uganda Cranes scored twice for the first time in the qualifiers. The Cranes continue to struggle for a reliable source of goals and only had one goal from Fahad Bayo, who seems to be Micho’s first choice up front.
In total, the Cranes managed five goals in six matches, and these were not enough to get enough points to send the team back to AFCON for the first time since 2019.
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Milton Karisa, Rogers Mato, Kayondo and Ochaya are the other players who found the back of the net in the campaign.
Until the question of Uganda’s exploits in the final third is answered, winning matches and qualifying for big tournaments will likely remain a fantasy.
The Cranes ended the campaign in third place, with seven points, one behind Tanzania. Algeria topped Group F with 16 points, while bottom side Niger only managed two points.
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