Cranes look to join Egypt in last 16

Emmanuel Okwi of Uganda (l) celebrates goal as teammate Khalid Aucho looks on during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Finals football match between Uganda and Zimbabwe at the Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt on 26 June 2019 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

by BackPageTXT

Sunday Jun 30, 2019. 13:00

Uganda will look to join Egypt in the last 16 of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations when the teams meet in their final Group A match, set for the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday 30 June, kick-off at 21:00 CAT.

Uganda continued their impressive showing at the AFCON as they played out a 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe on Wednesday night. The Cranes claimed the lead through Emmanuel Okwi, and although they conceded an equaliser to Khama Billiat, they still picked up a valuable point which takes them to within touching distance of the last 16.

Coach Sebastien Desabre will urge his team to tighten up in defence (they conceded several big chances to Zimbabwe and were lucky not to ship more than one goal) against the host nation team, who possess one of the most dangerous attackers in world football in the shape of Mohamed Salah.

And the Liverpool was on target in Egypt’s second match of the tournament, netting the second goal (the first was scored by Ahmed Elmohamady) in a 2-0 win over DR Congo on Wednesday night which sealed a place in the next round for the Pharaohs.

The North Africans need only a draw to ensure they finish top of the group and then have the advantage of facing one of the third-placed qualifiers, while a stalemate would also be enough to see Uganda into the knockout rounds for the first time since 1978.

In head-to-head stats, Uganda and Egypt have met in 20 previous matches. The Pharaohs have claimed 15 wins compared to two for the Cranes, while three games have been drawn.

The teams’ most recent clash was a World Cup qualifier in Alexandria in September 2017 which Egypt won 1-0 thanks to an early goal from Mohamed Salah.