Uganda could have won 2-0 against Ethiopia in the first leg of the preliminary round of the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup but it can with extra efforts.
Despite taking an early lead through skipper Juliet Nalukenge in the 4th minute, Ethiopia put up a good show especially in the second half before substitute Catherine Nagadya scored towards the end of the game.
Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi, the head coach of Uganda confessed he did not know anything about the opponents and they took them by surprise.
“I thank the girls for the fight and making sure we won but it was a tough game. The opponents gave us a challenge and I must give them credit,” he said before adding, “I must confess we were ignorant about them because we didn’t know how they play, their strengths and weaknesses. The start was good for us and we took an early lead but they remained composed and pushed us to the limit.”
Asked what the team needs to improve in the second round, Kiyingi indicated they must work on their efficiency.
“We had to kill off the game and I think we didn’t. It is not over yet and we must work on our efficiency in front of goal. It is good that we know how they play and we shall go back to rectify where we lacked today.”
The winner between Uganda and Ethiopia will face either Tanzania or Burundi at the next stage.
We were ignorant about the team we were going to play. And the fact that we
‘We knew we were facing a good team in Uganda, they are the champions of CECAFA and COSAFA. We have seen some of our mistakes and we hope to rectify the mistakes in the return leg.”
Most of our players didn’t have International exposure compared to
Using their balls in the goal area.
We were not sure about our opponents. We had a good start but lost momentum. They have now changed and know a team they are going to play.
They are needed.
