Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda U-17 national team have been eliminated from the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations but still have a chance in their quest to qualify for the Fifa U-17 World Cup in Qatar later this year.
The Cubs began their second Afcon journey with a humbling 5-0 defeat to hosts Morocco in their Group A opener; however, they bounced back in style with a commanding 3-0 win over Tanzania on Thursday night to keep their hopes alive.
Despite the resurgence, Uganda fell short in their final group match on Sunday night after narrowly losing 2-1 to Zambia.
The Cubs had a bright start with Simon Wanyama nearly opening the scoring after a clever one-two with James Bogere only for Zambian goalkeeper Rogers Simumba to produce a sensational sliding save with his left foot to deflect the ball for a corner.
Bogere had another opportunity in the 19th minute after a solo run down the left but Simumba’s heroics again denied his powerful strike.
Zambia responded immediately with a swift counterattack that saw Kelvin Mulenga sneak through at the end of it to slot past Uganda’s goalkeeper Adrian Mukwanga for a 1-0 halftime lead.
Uganda came out of the break with renewed hunger. Just four minutes into the second half, Bogere intercepted a Zambian pass and delivered an inviting cross into the box.
Right back Elvis Torach controlled it brilliantly and unleashed a thunderous shot at the near post to level the score.
However, the turning point came in the 72nd minute when Stephen Oyirwoth was adjudged to have fouled Zambian captain Jonathan Kalimina inside the area.
Mukwanga saved the resulting penalty from substitute Billy Daka with a well-timed dive but Daka later returned to haunt Uganda by scoring the winner in the 86th minute after Oyirwoth who was tasked with marking him slipped.
“We played better than Zambia and created more chances, but we just failed to convert them,” Brian Ssenyondo, Uganda Cubs head coach said after the game. “We still have another chance to fight for a place at the World Cup, and I expect an improved performance,” he added.
Uganda finish third in Group A with three points while Zambia and Morocco, who defeated Tanzania 3-0, progressed to the quarterfinals as well as booked a slot at the junior World Cup.
The Cubs now move into the World Cup playoff stage, where they will face the third-placed team from Group C, which features Tunisia, Senegal and Gambia. The winner of this one-off match will clinch a spot at the global tournament.
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