FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers

Result

Return leg

Uganda 2 Mozambique 0 (Uganda progress 8-0)

Coach Ayub Khalifah Kiyingi feels his side needs to work on their striking force. Kiyingi feels they create a lot of chances but they don’t utilize them.

He was speaking after his side defeated Mozambique 2-0 in the return leg of the second round of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers on Friday evening at FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru in Buikwe district. Earlier they had won the first leg 6-0 to progress 8-0 on aggregate.

“We secured three points, that's what's important. Every game has its approach and our opponents made some amendments that’s why we didn’t score the same goals as we did in the first leg. We created chances that we didn’t convert. The only difference we had in this game compared to the first leg is that in Mozambique every chance we got turned into a goal. Now we need to stay focused and find out how we shall go past our next opponent,” noted Kiyingi.

Assistant captain Phionah Nabulime gave Uganda a lead in the 6th minute after heading the ball off Margret Kunihira corner kick. Agnes Nabukenya doubled the lead in the 19th minute off a pass from Kunihira.

Uganda had a chance to win the tie by more than five goals if captain Hadjah Nandago, Kunihira and substitute Shamusa Najjuma among others didn’t miss their scoring opportunities.

Nandago felt bad that she was not on the scoresheet yet she had scoring opportunities.

“I wanted to score in the game but unfortunately I didn’t. I thought I would score two goals like I did in the first leg but next time I will do better,” noted Nandago.

Uganda will face either Senegal or Benin in the third round of the qualifiers. Already Senegal won the first leg 2-0 and their return leg against Benin in Cotonou will be played today (Sunday).

The qualifiers that started last month will run till March 17, 2024 with the best two teams in the fifth-round qualifying as the CAF representatives.

PHOTOS BY ISMAIL MULANGWA

This will be the 11th edition of the FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup, the biennial international women's youth football championship contested by the under-20 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It will be hosted by Colombia from 5 to 22 September 2024. It will be the third time that Colombia has hosted a FIFA tournament. It will also be the first time that Colombia has hosted a FIFA women's tournament.

Players born on or after 1 January 2004 were eligible to compete in the tournament. Colombia qualified automatically as hosts; the other 15 teams are supposed to qualify from six separate continental competitions for the finals. Spain beat Japan 3-1 in the previous edition (2022 FIFA U20 Women World Cup) of the World Cup that was hosted by Costa Rica.