Uganda coach Milutin Sredojevic has admitted his side gave it their all against the Pharaoh’s on Saturday but were unfortunate to concede a last minute goal.
Uganda took time to settle into the game, but were at par with their highly rated North African opponents after a nervy start to the game.
The Cranes gained confidence as they went on and with 10 minutes towards the break they had their first effort in the game. Farouk Miya was at it again playing a quick one-two with Tony Mawejje before dragging a right-footed shot wide of the mark.
Uganda seldom posed a threat to the Egyptian defense that’s well known for its Aerial prowess, but they coped well at the back, restricting the Pharaoh’s threats and confidently moving forward.
As the minutes ticked by, the game seemed like it would end in a stalemate but the Egyptian coach removed defensive midfielder Tarek Hamed for attacking midfielder Abdalla El Said to press the game forward.
The substitute lashed in from a Mohamed Salah pass with one minute left to snatch a 1-0 win over Uganda that leaves them on the verge of the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals and Uganda on their way home.
Speaking at a post-match conference in Port-Gentil, Uganda’s Coach Micho spoke with great confidence and admiration for the side.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”We tried our best but unfortunately it was not enough,” [/perfectpullquote]
“This level of competition demands total focus of concentration on details that decide games.”
“We couldn’t keep that concentration up to the last moment – when we were supposed to close the game out we allowed a counterattack and the experience and quality of Salah made the difference.” He added.
“We have come after 39 years and paid for the lesson in a hard way. If you lose in a convincing way you accept it, but in this way it is very hard to accept.
“We came here to play three Cup finals – the first we lost on a penalty to Ghana and the second we lost in the last minute on the counterattack.”
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”Now we need to pick up the pieces and look forward in order to see who will play the last game – it is hard to say who will play in the last game, we have certain injuries like (goalkeeper Denis) Onyango.”[/perfectpullquote]
He concluded reminding everyone how their “…….ambition remains that we want to go home with pride and with a win.”
Uganda will definitely be playing for their pride against Mali on Wednesday while the Egyptians face Ghana in need of a point to qualify. They will face Egypt again in the world Cup qualifiers twice over a course of ten days.
Featured Photo: Courtesy of AFP
