Crested Cranes confident of serving goals dish at Cecafa
Naume Nagagya (left) sends Salena Allibhai flying during training. Inset, coach Lutalo is confident goals will come. PHOTO | JOHN BATANUDDE
Crested Cranes coach George Lutalo remains optimistic his team will get goals when the Cecafa Women Championship starts on Wednesday at Fufa Technical Centre, Njeru.
The tournament is a preparatory ground for Uganda and Burundi ahead of their July 2-23 Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon) campaigns in Morocco.
However, for now, things look far from rosy. Crested Cranes have played two build-up games – albeit against men’s sides – since they switched camp from Kisaasi to Njeru on May 22 to “test the speed and other tactical aspects.”
They lost 3-1 to Jinja-based side, Rays of Grace, then 3-0 to Msindi Soccer Academy on Friday with their lone goal scored by Shamirah Nalugya.
Lutalo remains encouraged by the overall display of his team and says they still have hope to win games.
“Both teams played well even though we did not score enough goals in the games yet conceded quite a number. We have time to rectify everything,” Lutalo said ahead of Wednesday’s opener against southwestern neighbours Rwanda.
Yesterday, the team had a single session in the morning so the last hard yards will likely be put in today.
Crested Cranes have hardly been the most prolific of sides, bar the 2018 and 2019 period when they heavily relied on setpieces, despite the attacking talents at their disposal.
At the Cosafa Women Championship which ushered in Lutalo’s reign last year, they scored five goals – all in one match against Eswatini - as they got eliminated at the group stages.
They, however, redeemed themselves by eliminating Ethiopia from the Awcon qualifiers 2-1 on penalties after a 2-all aggregate score over two legs.
Riticia Nabbosa and now Kazakhstan-based forward Fauzia Najjemba, who will miss the tournament, scored for Uganda in a 2-0 home win at St. Mary’s Kitende.
Lutalo is yet to name his squad but he will likely rely on the poaching instinct of Juliet Nalukenge, the ingenuity of Hasifah Nassuna, the directness and pace of both Fazila Ikwaput and Natasha Shirazi plus a few goal-scoring midfielders like Nabbosa and Nalugya.
But the real task is to get Sandra Nabweteme, whose reputation built early as a goal getter at Kawempe Muslim makes her indispensable, firing in matches the way she has been doing in training.
