Travis Mutyaba put on a spectacular show for 45 minutes, leading Uganda to a 1-0 halftime advantage over Algeria. Unfortunately, he faded in the second half, and the Cranes fell 1-2 in Monday night’s World Cup qualifier at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
Paul Put’s Cranes looked their best in the first half. Mutyaba’s impressive passing, dribbling, and use of space thrilled the 41,000 fans, including First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports Janet Kataaha Museveni.
At just 19, the Zamalek playmaker, who scored within ten minutes, has the potential to surpass Cranes legends like Stephen Bogere, Jamil Kyambadde, and Jackson Mayanja. His future looks bright.
But the night belonged to Vladimir Petkovic’s Desert Foxes. They shook off their slow start and tied the game within two minutes of the second half thanks to Roma midfielder Hossem Auoar. West Ham’s Said Benrahma then sealed the win with a close-range finish after a fast counterattack.
With this victory, Algeria climbed to the top of Group G with nine points, the same as Mozambique, who beat Guinea 1-0 with a penalty in the 94th minute. Botswana also bounced back from a 0-1 loss to Uganda by defeating Somalia 3-1.
Monday’s most surprising result came from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, where Benin, ranked much lower than Nigeria, upset the Super Eagles 2-1. This left Finidi George’s team without a win after four games.
Nigeria’s rivals in Group C have a chance to widen the gap tonight. Lesotho, the group leaders, need to beat Rwanda in Durban to maintain their lead over South Africa, who play Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein.
Meanwhile, four-time African champions Ghana took control of their qualification hopes by beating Central African Republic 4-3, thanks to a hat-trick from Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew. This win put the Black Stars at the top of Group I with nine points, three ahead of Comoros, who visit Chad today.
RESULTS
- Uganda 1-2 Algeria
- Benin 2-1 Nigeria
- Guinea Bissau 1-1 Egypt
- Burkina Faso 2-2 Sierra Leone
- Eq Guinea 1-0 Malawi
- Ghana 4-3 Central African Rep
- Guinea v Mozambique 0-1
- Somalia 1-3 Botswana
TODAY
- Lesotho v Rwanda
- South Sudan v Sudan
- Cape Verde v Libya
- Angola v Cameroon
- Mauritius v Eswatini
- Zambia v Tanzania
- Congo v Morocco
- Madagascar v Mali
- Chad v Comoros
