Uganda beat S.Sudan to edge closer to AFCON 2025 finals

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 AFCON 2025 QUALIFICATION 

Bevis Mugabi scored the winning goal as Uganda edged neighbours South Sudan 1-0 at Namboole Stadium in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday.

Victory kept Uganda in a firm second spot in Group K on seven points, with a win in their next game, only four days away, guaranteeing The Cranes a spot in next year's finals in Morocco.

South Africa climbed to the summit of this group — level on points with Uganda but with a better goal difference — after thrashing Congo-Brazzaville 5-0 in the other group duel.

Congo remain in third place on three points and South Sudan, having picked up no point yet in this ongoing campaign, anchor the log.

Uganda and South Sudan will meet again next week on Tuesday (October 15) in Juba to complete the double header. Victory — a third successive one of this campaign — will see Belgian Paul Put's team qualify with two games to spare.

On Friday though, Put had to watch his side dig deeper than many had anticipated to grind out a crucial result at home. A goalless opening half of chances few and far between did more than enough to create a wave of anxiety across the packed, floodlit stadium.

But the jittery home fans were relieved that they did not have to wait so long for the much-awaited breakthrough.

Just a minute into the second half, Uganda were awarded a corner.

Standing over the dead ball and ready to deliver, substitute Allan Okello played it short to a teammate, who fed the ball back to him, drawing in two South Sudanese players on the edge of the box.

The 24-year-old Okello then swept the return ball first-time with his left foot into the box to find Jude Ssemugabi's head.

The South Sudanese keeper blocked the Ugandan's headed effort — to deny him a second goal in successive games — but only as far as for the spilled ball to land invitingly in the path of defender Mugabi, who poked home from close range to send the stadium into celebrations.

It was a huge sigh of relief for not only the home fans, but also for tactician Put and his technical team after a drab opening half that had fueled a mood of disgruntlement within the stands.

Statistically, Uganda's four out of 12 shots in the entire game were on target while South Sudan managed to place a half of their four shots on target.

The hosts bossed the possession (67% vs 33%) and with that, they managed 491 passes against South Sudan's 251.

The stats also show that Uganda enjoyed superiority in passing accuracy (82%) against their opponents' 68%.

While South Sudan committed a total of 14 fouls (drawing two yellow cards), Uganda were guilty of 10 (picking one yellow card).

Ahead of next week's tie in South Sudan's capital, back in camp, Put and co are expected to examine in finer detail a first half at Namboole that lacked colour, fight and incision.

The slender final scoreline tells part of that story.

Next week in Juba, the Ugandans — after securing two crucial wins at home in this qualification campaign, having earlier beaten Congo-Brazzaville last month — will have their resolve tested away from the comfort of home turf.

The focus will remain on picking up three points to ensure their remaining two games thereafter are as comfortable as they can get in this six-round competition that will produce 23 qualifiers to join hosts Morocco.

Uganda are working to return to the finals of the biennial AFCON for the first time since 2019.

Uganda's goal scorers

Five different players have scored Uganda's five goals thus far in this campaign.

Denis Omedi and Rogers Mato both found the back of the net in Uganda's opener against South Africa in a 2-2 result on September 6.

Three days later (September 9), Aziz Kayondo and Jude Ssemugabi scored as hosts Uganda brushed aside Congo-Brazzaville.

A month later, Bevis Mugabi lifted the Cranes' goals tally to five with his winner against a battling South Sudan.