Tuesday, November 21
•Somalia 0-1 Uganda Cranes
The Uganda Cranes secured their first victory of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against a 10-man Somalia team.
Rogers Mato’s early goal defined the match played at the Berkane Municipal Stadium in Morocco.
Despite Somalia’s Abdi Mohammed receiving a red card just before halftime, Uganda failed to convert their possession into goals.
Nevertheless, it’s a significant outcome for coach Paul Put, marking his first win since assuming the team’s leadership having started the journey with a 2-1 defeat against Guinea last Friday.
Put made three changes from the team that faced Guinea, with a notable decision to grant 17-year-old Allan Oyirwoth not only a start but also his debut for the national team.
Ismail Watenga was selected to start in goal over Salim Jamal, while Elvis Bwomono was included in the starting XI as well.
Bwomono and Oyirwoth swiftly made an impact; the former delivered a cross for Oyirwoth, whose shot was tapped in by Mato, securing the solitary goal of the match.
Oyirwoth displayed promise and attacked the goal positively, narrowly missing a chance that skimmed just over the crossbar.
Despite Uganda’s attempts, they struggled to press Somalia into errors in their own half as the hosts aimed to build from the defense.
Travis Mutyaba neatly beat his maker but failed to find the target, and Rogers Mato missed a clear goalkeeper-to-beat opportunity after running behind the defence.
Somalia tried to look a threat on the counter but caused minimal threat until the final whistle.
In the dying moments, Somalia nearly grabbed a point from a corner, but the chance came to naught, and that proved to be the last play of the game.
Nevertheless, it was a resilient display by the Horn of Africa nation, who defended tenaciously throughout the second half with a man down following Abdi Mohammed’s second yellow card.
Uganda Cranes will face both Botswana and Algeria next at Namboole in June next year.
Players Used
Somalia – Mustaf Yusuf, Andurizak Sheikhuna, Ibrahim Isse, Ahmed Abdi, Ahmed Isse, Ibrahim Ilyas, Yusuf Ahmed, Saadiq Elmi, Issa Yusuf Adan, Sakaria Hassan, Omar Jama
Uganda – Ismail Watenga, Elvis Bwomono, Bevis Mugabi, Halid Lwaliwa, Aziz Kayondo, Kenneth Ssemakula, Aucho Khalid, Allan Oyirwoth, Rogers Mato, Travis Mutyaba, Fahad Bayo
