Cranes arrest away nerves, enter 2016 with promise

Seldom has a Uganda Cranes year been reviewed as adequate. Not with every qualifying year ending in tears. There was, however, no failed Nations Cup qualification campaign to weep over this year, perhaps because we have four more matches to negotiate next year before knowing whether Uganda will have ended a 39-year absence from Afcon or not.

But the Cranes have this year brought back home the Cecafa trophy after its short visit to Nairobi, qualified for Chan, and made it to the final 20 African teams to progress to Russia 2018 World Cup group stage.

Although nothing really mind-boggling happened since Uganda were winning their 14th Cecafa title and making it to Chan for the third successive time, there’s no denying the feel good factor that has come with Cranes performance in 2015.

The most telling point of coach Micho Sredojevic’s men perhaps is the great leap in away performances, where the Cranes won six out of eight matches - one of them in Afcon and another in World Cup qualifiers. A consistent run of results that ended with the Cranes – primarily made of the U23 team – winning Cecafa have put Uganda in great stead going into Chan in Jan/Feb in Kigali. The impressive Afcon campaign, where the Cranes top their group on six points after beating Botswana and Comoros, and the World Cup – where Uganda took good care of Togo to progress to the group stage, could not have provided better impetus ahead of March Nations Cup engagements.

Below we relive the Cranes journey through the year, with much emphasis on the impressive away form.
Uganda’s eight away matches in 2015 (WWWLLWWW)

12/11/15:
Togo 0-1 Uganda, WC qualifier
The Cranes went into this match on the back of five away wins in the calendar year but none had come as big and against a better opponent. The fact that Uganda had lost all their four qualification ties against Togo hardly gave confidence. Yet the Cranes approached the match with confident caution, and once Farouk Miya’s free kick went in early and Dennis Onyango saved his third away penalty in five years, there was no turning back.

A 3-0 victory in Kampala – Miya grabbing a brace and Geoffrey Massa the other – only emphasized the Cranes dominance in the two ties and booked them a place in the group stage. Draws for the group stage, where five pool winners will qualify for Russia, will be made next June.

25/10/15:
Sudan 0 – 2 Uganda, Chan qualifier
Frank Kalanda and Miya’s strikes had snuffed out any Sudanese challenge at Nakivubo before Caesar Okhuti and Miya sealed a 4-0 aggregate victory in Khartoum to book a place at Chan 2016 in Kigali.

05/09/15:
Comoros 0 – 1 Uganda,
Afcon qualifier
Tonny Mawejje and Onyango were the supermen as the former’s lone goal and latter’s penalty save ensured the Cranes went top of their 2017 Afcon group with maximum points having earlier beaten Burkina Faso 2-0 in Kampala. It is because of these two matches Uganda travel to Ouagadougou next March with a big chance to make a telling statement regarding qualifying for the finals in Gabon.

18/07/15:
Egypt 4-0 Uganda, U23 qualifier
This is one of only two away losses Uganda suffered this year (defeat to Kenya in Cecafa was on a neutral ground). Micho’s boys could simply not live with the high octane passing of the young Pharaohs, conceding four in quick succession. And if there were any lingering hopes of at least salvaging home pride, they were quickly shattered in the return as Egypt run away 2-1 winners at Namboole to qualify 6-1

06/07/15:
Malawi 1- 0 Uganda, friendly
Chiukepo Msowoya was the hero for the hosts as they piped the Cranes, who were also using this friendly to prepare for the trip to Egypt for an U23 match.

20/06/15:
Tanzania 0-3 Uganda, Chan qualifier
Cecafa teams seem to have no clue what hits them whenever they come up against the poking Cranes. Having eliminated the Kilimanjaro Stars in previous Chan qualifiers, the Cranes arrived in Tanzania and thrashed the hosts 3-0, Erisa Ssekisambu’s brace and Miya’s penalty inflicting the pain. It hardly mattered as Tanzania held Uganda one-all in the return leg, Keziron Kizito netting for the hosts and John Bocco for the visitors, as theCranes progressed to eliminate Sudan and qualify.

23/05/15:
Rwanda 1-2 Uganda, U23 qualifier
Miya and Muzamir Mutyaba’s goals were enough to establish early advantage for Uganda in Kigali before a 2-0 victory in Kampala coasted the Cranes through to the next round 4-1 on aggregate. The only problem is that they run into a truck registered in Egyptian number plates.

26/03/15:
Nigeria 0-1 Uganda, friendly
Miya’s lone strike in Uyo registered one of Uganda’s biggest ever away wins as they piped the Super Eagles 0-1 to run away with bragging rights. In that match, Vipers forward, Miya, emphasized his rising star. He has since gone on to score 12 more goals to bring his national tally to 15 since debuting against Seychelles in July last year.

Cecafa triumph
The Cranes extended their dominance in the region by strolling to their 14th title, eight ahead of distant second Kenya, with a 1-0 final win over Rwanda. Caesar Okhuti and skipper (Cecafa and Chan) Miya scored three goals apiece en route to the final. Denis Okot, Joseph Ochaya and Richard Kassaga are some of the stars that illuminated.

Group D: Uganda, Mali, Zimbabwe, Zambia
January 19, 2016
Mali vs. Uganda
January 23, 2016
Uganda vs. Zambia
January 27, 2016
Uganda vs. Zimbabwe
* All pool phase games at Umuganda Stadium, Gisenyi

Afcon 2017, Gabon (qualifiers)
March 26, 2016:
Burkina Faso vs. Uganda
March 29, 2016:
Uganda vs. Burkina Faso
Group D: Uganda 6, Burkina Faso 3, Botswana 3, Comoros 3

Russia 2018 WC (qualifiers)
Group stage draws to be made in June next year

Uganda home games in 2015
15/11/15: Uganda 3-0 Togo, WC qualifier
17/10/15: Uganda 2-0 Sudan, Chan qualifier
01/08/15: Uganda 1-2 Egypt, U23 qualifier
04/07/15: Uganda 1-1 Tanzania, Chan qualifier
13/06/15: Uganda 2-0 Botswana, Afcon qualifier
09/06/15: Uganda 1-1 Gambia, Friendly
30/05/15: Uganda 2-0 Rwanda, U23 qualifier

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