Saturday Nov 13, 2021. 11:00
Uganda will look to end their 20220 World Cup Qualification campaign on a high when they face Group E winners Mali at Stade Agadir in Morocco on the evening of Sunday 14 November 2021, kick-off at 18:00 CAT.
Mali became the third team – behind Senegal and Morocco – to secure advancement into the next and final round of qualification when they crushed Rwanda 3-0 in Kigali on Thursday.
Moussa Djenepo, Ibrahima Kone and Kalifa Coulibaly scored for the Eagles, while the Amavubi were hamstrung from early on after Biziman Djihad was sent off within the opening 10 minutes.
Mali’s victory came in the wake of a 1-1 draw for Uganda at home to Kenya earlier the same day, with the Cranes needing a late equaliser from Fahad Bayo to cancel out an opener from Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga. Nonetheless, the result in Entebbe opened the door for the Eagles to join Senegal and Morocco in the next and final round.
2022 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS GROUPS
Mali could end a full six points clear with victory over the Cranes, though coach Mohamed Magassouba may well use the game as a chance to experiment ahead of their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations in a couple of months’ time.
“We are happy to have achieved the goal [progression into the next round] with a game to spare, but that does not mean we will relax,” warned Magassouba.
Uganda coach Milutin Sredojevic has no such target to work towards in the short term, but will still want to see his side show a similar spirit to that which had them dreaming of a first-ever World Cup qualification.
In head-to-head stats, Mali and Uganda have met in five matches dating back to 1965. The Eagles boast an unbeaten record, with two wins and three draws. The teams’ Matchday 2 meeting in Group E back in September ended in a 0-0 draw in Entebbe.
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