RABAT, Morocco – Uganda’s long-awaited return to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) stage got off to a rocky start on Tuesday night as the Cranes suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of a clinical Tunisia side at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex.
Despite a spirited finish that saw substitute Denis Omedi find the back of the net in stoppage time, the damage had already been done by a brace from Elias Achouri and an early header from Ellyes Skhiri.
Match Summary: A Mountain Too High
The Carthage Eagles took control just 10 minutes into the match. A well-delivered corner found Skhiri, whose header gave the North Africans an early lead. Uganda struggled to find their rhythm in the rain-slicked conditions, and the pressure told again in the 40th minute when Achouri doubled the lead with a composed finish.
Achouri added his second in the 64th minute, pouncing on a rebound after an initial save by Jamal Salim.
Uganda’s bright spot came late in the 92nd minute when Omedi’s deflected effort provided a consolation goal for the travelling fans.
Post-Match Reaction: “We were not aggressive enough”
Speaking to the media after the whistle, Cranes Head Coach Paul Joseph Put did not mince his words, suggesting his team played with a psychological handicap. “We showed them too much respect. We know they are good at set pieces, and this is a bad start,” Put told CAFOnline. “I think we were not aggressive enough. If you play at AFCON, you need to win the duels. We only had about 25 minutes where we were in the game; the rest, we were on the backfoot.”
Despite the setback, the Belgian tactician remains optimistic about a turnaround. “We know what we have to do in our next game. We will be playing under pressure now—a draw will not be enough. We will analyze the mistakes, but I do believe that we can bounce back.”
The defeat leaves Uganda at the bottom of Group C. The Cranes now face a “must-win” East African derby against Tanzania, who also lost their opener 2-1 to Nigeria.
That was a tough loss for Uganda, it seems Paul’s strategy just wasn’t quite right against Tunisia. – Elias Vance