Thursday, September 24
•Tunisia 1-1 Uganda
•Libya 2-2 Botswana
Uganda Cranes opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Tunisia on Thursday night.
Rogers Mato scored a second-half equaliser after the hosts had taken the lead through Adem Arous in the first half, as the two sides shared the spoils at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades, Tunis.
Arous bundled the ball home from close range in the 12th minute after Uganda failed to deal with a low corner delivery, giving the Carthage Eagles an early advantage.
However, the Cranes responded in the 68th minute when debutant Nathan Asiimwe played a neat pass into Mato, who controlled well before firing past the goalkeeper from a difficult angle.
Tunisia enjoyed more possession and looked the better side for large spells, but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities as they continued their rebuilding process following a disappointing World Cup qualifying campaign.
Coach Paul Put made bold selections, opting for a back three of Kenneth Ssemakula, Rogers Torach and Toby Sibbick, while Nathan Asiimwe and Noble Okello made their debuts for the national team.
And the team played with comfort against a side they had lost to in all six previous meetings.
Uganda also threatened through Travis Mutyaba, whose effort drifted narrowly wide after combining with Allan Okello, while teenage striker James Bogere came close after being introduced from the bench.
The Cranes, who have already secured qualification for the 2027 AFCON finals as co-hosts, will return to action on Tuesday against Libya in Hoima. Libya opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Botswana.
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