Uganda fight back to hold South Africa in Africa Cup of Nations qualifier tie

Uganda Cranes fought from a goal down to hold hosts South Africa in a Group K match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers played on Friday.

Lyle Foster gave Bafana Bafana an early lead after 14 minutes at the Orlando Stadium.

The Burnley striker received a pass from Khuliso Mudau and made no mistake placing the ball past Uganda’s goalkeeper Ismail Watenga.

After recess, the Uganda Cranes grew in confidence as Denis Omedi unleashed a scorcher after 51 minutes to make it 1-1. Two minutes later Rogers Mato also shot from outside the box to beat South Africa’s goalkeeper Veli Mothwa to give Uganda Cranes a 2-1 lead.

But as the match progressed the visitors failed to manage the game well giving South Africa the opportunity to level matters five minutes into added time through Thalente Mbatha. It was all relieve for the home fans as the match ended 2-2.

Paul Put, the Uganda Cranes coach said his team was lucky in the first half because they were not in the game. “My players were playing like children in the first half and were lucky to concede only one goal. In the second half we saw a much better display and now we must prepare well for the match against Congo Brazzaville next week,” added the coach.

In an earlier Group J match played at the Nelson Mandela Stadium Namboole in Uganda, the Harambee Stars of Kenya settled for a goalless draw against Zimbabwe.

The two teams created some scoring opportunities, but failed to take them. Kenya were forced to use a neutral ground because they currently don’t have a stadium that fulfills the required standards set by the Confederation of African Football and FIFA to host international matches.

On Thursday South Sudan suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Congo Brazzaville in a Group K match, while Burundi put up a remarkable performance to stop hosts Malawi 3-2 in a Group L match played at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Sudan who registered a 1-0 win against Niger will travel to face Angola, while Ethiopia hosts DR Congo at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Burundi will host Senegal in a Group L match to be played in Malawi.

Collected results for CECAFA teams

September 4

Sudan 1 Niger 0

Tanzania 0 Ethiopia 0

Libya 1 Rwanda 1

September 5

Congo Brazzaville 1 South Sudan 0

Malawi 2 Burundi 3

September 6

Kenya 0 Zimbabwe 0

South Africa 2 Uganda 2