Coach Put admits Uganda Cranes need to improve

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 2025 AFCON QUALIFIERS 

 Group K Friday results
Uganda 1 South Sudan 0
South Africa 5 Congo 0

Uganda took a significant step towards qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals with a narrow 1-0 victory over South Sudan at Namboole Stadium on Friday.

The match was decided by Bevis Mugabi's goal early in the second half, which gave The Cranes the crucial three points.

Although Uganda secured the win, their overall performance was less than impressive.

South Sudan, despite missing key players, put up a strong defensive display and threatened on a few occasions but lacked the finishing touch to convert their chances.

Uganda dominated possession but struggled to break down a resilient South Sudan defense, with many of their attacks fizzling out before posing any real danger.

Mugabi's goal came from a short corner kick started by substitute Allan Okello, with teammate Jude Ssemugabi's header first blocked by the keeper and then the ball landing back to Mugabi for him to score.

Despite the victory, Uganda will need to improve their overall play as they approach the remaining fixtures in the qualification campaign.

South Sudan, meanwhile, will be disappointed not to have come away with at least a point, but they still have time to turn their campaign around.

After the game, Cranes head coach, Belgian Paul Put, admitted the team was far from their best.

"There is a lot of work to do. I understand we were playing our neighbours, but we didn't have a good first half. We only improved in the second half," he said.

The tactician acknowledged that Uganda must step up their performance ahead of the return leg in Juba next Tuesday.

"We are going to analyse what went wrong, and I believe we shall do better in the second game," he added, emphasizing the need for improvements if they are to pick up a positive result in the away fixture.

Uganda will need a more cohesive and aggressive approach in Juba to secure their spot in the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco.

South Sudan coach Nicholas Dupuis acknowledged the challenges his team faced, including the absence of key players, but remained positive after their performance on Friday.

Despite the defeat, Dupuis praised his players' resilience: "We played well but only made one mistake which cost us."

Looking ahead to the return leg, the coach emphasized the importance of home advantage and called on the fans to turn out in large numbers to support the team, expressing hope for improvement in the next match.

Uganda's second successive victory brought their points tally to seven in Group K, but they now sit in second place.

South Africa's dominant 5-0 win over Congo Brazzaville propelled them to the top of the group, also with seven points, but ahead on goal difference.

Congo remain in third with three points, while South Sudan are at the bottom of the group with no points so far.