AFCON qualifier: Burkina Faso 1 Uganda 0

Mar 26, 2016

Jonathan Pitroipa scores the winner as Burkina Faso beat Uganda in Ougadougouo.

Burkina Faso climbed top of Group D of the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifiers after a crucial home victory against Uganda at the Stade du 4-Août in Ougadougouo on Saturday.

The game that kicked off at 9pm (Ugandan time), saw Jonathan Pitroipa score the winning goal from the spot in a very physical encounter.

This was after the hosts were awarded a penalty kick after Pitroipa was bundled in the box by Khalid Aucho 14 minutes into the second half.

And the 29-year-old attacker, who plays for Al Nasr in the Arabian Gulf League, made no mistake when he stepped up to face Denis Onyango, hesitated in his run, before sending the lanky Ugandan keeper the wrong way at the hour mark.

From then on, the sweltering temperatures inside the stadium must have risen a notch higher with the deafening noise from the home support.

The goal was also a swift wake-up call for Coach Sredojevic Micho's side who responded with more open play, yet the presence and combination of Pitroipa and Préjuce Nakoulma proved a thorn in the visitors' backline.

Bertrand Traore was also another source of trouble for The Cranes.

Just like the second half, the opening half had seen Burkina Faso start the stronger side, pressing their opponents in the early stages of the game. But the encounter lacked fluidity and often in the early periods, both sides were guilty of giving away too much of the ball.

Also, play was often interrupted by Egyptian referee Ghead Zaglol Grisha's whistle, an illustration of how physical the tie was. After 18 minutes, Uganda was nearly gifted the lead - against the run of play - but Geoffrey Massa's goal was disallowed for offside.

The Ugandan striker, wearing the captain's armband, headed past keeper Dauoda Diakite from a cute cross from the left, but his celebration was cut short by the assistant referee's flag.

Meanwhile, Nakoulma, who plays his club football in Turkey, proved an important figure for the hosts, as was Pitroipa whose freekick hit the crossbar and back into play, and the resultant clumsy effort by a teammate whistled wide.

Late on, both sides had chances of either stretching the lead (Burkina Faso) or equalizing (Uganda), but with the clock ticking fast in a half that saw keeper Onyango needing medical attention after a brave save, a rather subdued Belgian-based Farouk Miya come close and Tonny Mawejje's ambitious long-range effort well-saved, it was the home side that took maximum points.

After Saturday's tie, it means Burkina Faso have won more times (two) against Uganda for the five times they have met. The Cranes have won once against the West African side.

Also, the result in Ougadougouo means Uganda have slipped to second place but are level on points (6) and goal difference (+2) with today's opponents Burkina Faso.

Comoros, who beat Botswana 1-0 on Friday in the other group game, are in third place while Botswana are bottom.

The Cranes host Burkina Faso on Tuesday at Namboole Stadium in a fixture that will further shape Group D as the teams pursue a spot in next year's final in Gabon.

Ivory Coast are the defending champions of the continental tournament, having beaten Ghana 9-8 in a penalty shoot-out in the 2015 final in Equatorial Guinea.



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