WC qualifier: Uganda 1 Liberia 0

MATCH REPORT

UGANDA 1 (Mawejje 4')    LIBERIA   0

By Joseph Kizza

NAMBOOLE - Multin Micho Sredojevic registered his first home victory in his new role as Uganda Cranes head coach against Liberia in a World Cup qualifier at Namboole Stadium on Saturday.

Tonny Mawejje tapped home early from an Emmanuel Okwi through-pass to give Cranes a perfect start to a crucial game which ended 1-0, much to the delight of the home fans.

There was an after-final-whistle melee on-pitch that saw some Liberian players clash with match referee Cordier Adam over what appeared to be their dissatisfaction over the time. And that immediately attracted a swarm of security detail who rushed to sort matters out.

Victory against Liberia ensured that World Cup qualification for Uganda remains achievable amidst pre-match doubts over this ambitious venture.

Now the home side is elevated to second place with five points in Group J, right under the nose of Senegal,who remain at the top with six points following their 1-1 draw with Angola on Saturday.

As it stands, Liberia sink to the bottom of the group with four points, and Angola in third with the same points. Uganda next plays Angola at Namboole next week on Saturday (15th).

The elevation should come as vital relief for coach Micho, who witnessed his new side bow to defeat in a friendly against Libya recently. But then, that’s a defeat that was needed for the Serbian to realign his decisions on who to play and who to drop in Saturday’s game.

Cranes came into the qualifier on the back of two draws – with Angola (away) and Senegal (home) – and a 2-0 away loss at the hands of Liberia. That had sunk them down to bottom place of the group.

If there was anything the home fans needed to look forward to in the runner up of Saturday’s encounter, it was nothing short of a win for their side – a side that has come just a sniff away from Nations Cup finals qualification in the most recent campaigns.

And the players had to deal with the transition of new pitch leadership – from Bobby Williamson to Micho (right) – to prove their worth. true

Cranes pulled off an impressive start after kickoff, immediately snatching dominance of ball possession from the West African opponents.

Early attempts goal-wards courtesy of the home players right away reminded the visitors of the task at hand.

Emmanuel Okwi’s spirited runs up the left wing gave off an aura of strength and agility, shaking off his markers and delivering crosses towards the opponent’s box.

And all this while, Geoffrey Massa was replicating such show of determination down the right.

That certainly spelled busy times for Liberian goal-stopper Nathaniel Sherman.

Eventually, the visiting side witnessed itself falling on the receiving end of early punishment when Mawejje collected a through ball from an advancing Okwi and tapped it in past a beaten Sherman.

It was never going to be a safe scoreline for the home team though.

Lethal attacks from the opposite end courtesy of a talismanic display of Patrick Wleah, commonly referred to as 'Ronaldinho', kept Micho's men ever on their toes.

The attacker, who plays for Malaysian side PKNS FC, always wriggled his way through down left, and spraying a couple of crosses dangerously inside the Cranes' box.

Sekou Oliseh Jabetah and Foady Eddie Boakai proved trouble for the home defenders, who every once in a while found themselves plunged in a mix of communication breakdown with the day's goal-stopper Robert Odongkara.

Godfrey Walusimbi a.k.a. Jjajja Walu came into the game bundled with his own share of emotional struggles over his ailing wife, but he smartly put that aside for the moment, and established admirable command of the left wing defense with pace and quality.

Oliseh's torperdo shot goalwards instantly caused a brief scare for the about 12, 000 home fans at the national stadium, but was followed with sighs of heavy relief when it floated well over the bar.

'Ronaldinho' should have leveled matters on a hot afternoon at Namboole, but his indecision to minus the ball to an invisible play-mate instead of slamming goalwards when he found himself in a juicy position, proved costly for his side in the end.

He was ever the man to look out for, with a show of strength in the air and on the ground. In fact, his aerial abilities saw him clash mid-air with Odongkara, which sent the towering keeper slamming on the ground, needing medical attention.

The home fans, armed with sporty accessories like banners, balls, artistic caps and most notably the deafening vuvuzelas, looked on in disbelief as their keeper received the attention of medics. But finally, he was able to spring back into a game that saw an equally tense second half.

The Liberians never gave off any signs of giving up, establishing an atmosphere gripped with suspense and anxiety for the final blow of the whistle by the home supporters, who saw their attacking man Massa launch a series of massively powered blows towards the other end of goal.

But the second half was to remain goalless, with Mawejje's lone strike lifting his side towards the top, heroics he replicated two years ago in a crucial Cecafa tournament in Tanzania.

He becomes the only Ugandan after ex-Cranes player Phillip Ssozi to have shaken the Lone Stars' (Liberia) net. The latter's goal won Uganda the 2000 AFCON qualifier match at Nakivubo back in 1999.

But it's not over yet. There is time to celebrate in the mean time, but each and every player on Micho's squad knows the importance of next weekend's meet with Angola.