By Daniel Nuwamanya Mategyero
Uganda Cranes will make history if they manage to leap-frog Zimbabwe, Bukina Faso and Morrocco to book a quarter final outing later today.
With the anarchy at FUFA House, a highly tinkered team, a poor show at the last edition of the tournament in 2011 which saw the team exit without a point, and whole host of other challenges, no one had given the boys – most of them rookies – the slimmest of chances.
But a surprise performance against the ‘Bakinabe’ of Bukina Faso which saw Yunus Sentamu bag a brace, took the Cranes top of Group B, while Zimbabwe and Morrocco played out a goalless draw. The second game against Zimbabwe was an under-par performance but nevertheless, the Uganda Cranes earned a valuable point to keep the hopes of a quater-final place alive.
In their last outing later today (8pm EST), the Cranes will need just a draw to book a quarter-final outing with either Mali or Nigeria, the winners of Group A.
The boys, led by their skipper Denis Iguma are confident that a semi-final finish is within eye’s-sight. What better motivation will the boys need than a positive attitude?
We await to see if they will deliver in the ‘middle of the park’ as we equally hope that their rather over-sized confidence does not get them carried away.
Go Cranes Go! www.squarepass.net
“[katogoaward]”