TUESDAY PREVIEW: PAUL PUT PREPARES UGANDA FOR DECISIVE FINAL AFCON GROUP CLASH
Uganda must beat Nigeria to reach the AFCON 2025 knockouts. Discover Paul Put’s strategy and Jordan Obita’s call for belief in Fes.
Paul Put's team is heading to Stade de Fes, aiming for a win. This victory could get them into the round of 16 either as Group C's second-place team or as one of the top four third-place teams in the 24-team contest.
"We're up against a really good team," Put said. They were in the final at the last Cup of Nations, and they've won both matches here in Morocco.
We know how good the Nigerian players are. A lot of them play in big leagues in Europe, so we need to be super focused.
But we know what's at stake. It won't be easy; it will be tough. But if we put in the effort, anything's possible.
Tunisia is playing Tanzania in Rabat on Tuesday night. They beat Uganda 3-1 in their first game on December 23.
In their second game, Uganda drew 1-1 with Tanzania after Allan Okello missed a late penalty.
"We had a great chance to win," said Uganda defender Jordan Obita. But it didn't happen.
We can't be scared of going into the Nigeria game. We have to believe we can do something, and that's what we're going to do.
Uganda reached the last 16 in 2019 in Egypt—the first time the Africa Cup of Nations had 24 teams.
But the country's teams didn't make it into the competitions in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire after that.
In 2027, Uganda will host the event with Kenya and Uganda. Obita mentioned that the players in the Uganda team want to show what they're made of at the 2025 contest.
"Everyone back home in Uganda needs to see that we can compete with the best countries in the world," said the 32-year-old, who plays for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.
When we played Algeria in the World Cup qualifiers, it showed we can go head-to-head with top-tier countries and players.
Nigeria's coach, Eric Chelle, was secretive on Monday about who would be on his team Tuesday night.
"I'm keeping my plans to myself," said the 48-year-old former Mali player. A lot of players deserve a chance on this team.
I make hard choices for every match. I've got two or three teams in mind.
KCCA BOUNCE BACK: KASASIRO BOYS OVERCOME RECENT SLUMP WITH A GRITTY 2-1 BUL WIN
KCCA are back: Discover how Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai secured a 2-1 win over Bul to rejoin the UPL title race.
Ivan Ahimbisibwe and Herbert Achai both found the net for KCCA, either side of a Denis Sewagudde goal, in a win that really should let coaches Ssenyondo and Jackson Magera breathe a little easier.
Zeal. Hunger. Character. Attitude. That’s what KCCA coach Brian Ssenyondo wanted to see after his team got handed their third loss in five games last week, a 3-1 defeat to NEC that stung. This time, he finally got it. KCCA showed all those qualities and pulled off a gritty 2-1 victory over Bul in the Uganda Premier League at Phillip Omondi Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ahimbisibwe and Achai scored for KCCA, with Sewagudde briefly levelling for Bul, and the result means Ssenyondo and Magera can at least feel the pressure lift for now.
But maybe more importantly, this win drags KCCA back into the title race. They’re now sitting on 33 points from 17 games, just five behind leaders Vipers.
The game started off tight, both sides feeling each other out, but Bul looked a little sharper early on. Even so, it was KCCA who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with their first real chance. They overloaded the right, Saidi Mayanja whipped in a cross, and Ahimbisibwe, timing his run just right, dived in for a header. That’s his seventh goal of the season, and honestly, he’s been one of the few bright spots among the club’s new signings.
KCCA then had to dig in. Achai made a crucial block to deny Karim Ndugwa after a cross from Reagan Kalyowa. But just before halftime, the tricky Sewagudde bent in a free kick that completely wrong-footed KCCA keeper Mutwalibi Mugolofa, and Bul were level.
After the break, KCCA rediscovered their missing edge. Four minutes into the second half, left-back Achai stormed forward, played a quick one-two with Ashraf Mugume, then hammered the ball past Bul’s Ikara at the near post.
From there, KCCA held Bul at bay, sealing a rare home-and-away double over their Njeru-based rivals, who remain eighth on 20 points.
Earlier that day, Lugazi captain Richard Ayiko grabbed the winner as his side edged UPDF 1-0 in Najjembe, giving them a six-point cushion above the relegation zone. And at the bottom, Calvary finally picked up their fifth point of the season with a goalless draw against Express in Yumbe.
TITLE RACE HEAT: HOW VIPERS DROPPING HOME POINTS GIVES KITARA A CHANCE TO STRIKE
Vipers SC stay top of the UPL with 38 points! Discover how Warren Buule’s equaliser for NEC FC shook up the title race at Kitende.
NEC are stuck in seventh place with 24 points from 17 games. Vipers, even after dropping home points for just the second time this season, hang on to the top spot with 38.
Honestly, NEC have drawn more games than they'd like, nine out of 17. That’s a lot of stalemates in the Startimes Uganda Premier League. But this time, their 1-1 draw away to the reigning champs, Vipers, felt like more than just another point. It actually meant something, especially under the lights at St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende on Tuesday evening.
Vipers came out flying. They grabbed the lead early and pretty much ran the first half. Six minutes in, Milton Karisa latched onto a slick through ball from Karim Watambala and curled a lovely left-footed shot past NEC keeper Hannington Ssebwalunyo. That was Karisa’s sixth goal of the season, and for a minute there, it looked like the Vipers were about to run riot, just like they did in their 4-0 demolition of Buhimba last time at home.
NEC looked shaky. Coach Badru Kaddu had seen enough and made two early changes, bringing on Shamir Kimwero and Joseph Dhata for Rashid Kawawa and Daniel Shabene inside 25 minutes. The switch helped steady things, but NEC didn’t really come to life until the second half.
Then, with 15 minutes left, substitute Emmanuel Kulanga swung in a cross, and Warren Buule was there at the far post to head in the equaliser. That goal was well earned; NEC were much better after the break. Richard Basangwa, playing up front, kept his old team busy and even got Bady Da Silva and Enoch Ssebagala booked. Ssebagala didn’t last much longer, getting subbed off after a rough tackle on his former side.
NEC has been busy in the mid-season transfer window. They’ve already added six new faces, and more are on the way. Sam Ssekamatte, who scored five goals for UPDF in the first round, watched from the stands with the rest of the unused squad.
So, NEC holds on to seventh, Vipers stay top, but Kitara could shake things up if they beat URA on Thursday. This title race isn’t done yet.
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