- Algeria defeated the Uganda Cranes 3-0 in the Group C opener of CHAN 2024, held at the Nelson Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Monday evening.
- The defeat made Uganda the first co-host nation to suffer a loss in the tournament, while fellow co-hosts Tanzania began their campaign with a win.
- Uganda head coach Morley Byekwaso admitted that pressure and anxiety were key factors behind his team’s underwhelming performance.
Uganda Cranes head coach Morley Byekwaso has opened up about what went wrong in their Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 Group C opener, which ended in a heavy 0-3 defeat to Algeria on Monday evening.
The Cranes were overwhelmed from the outset at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, conceding three goals and struggling to contain the North African giants’ incisive attacking play and disciplined structure throughout the match.
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According to Byekwaso, the dismal performance exposed both mental and tactical vulnerabilities within the team.
We came in to give our best, but we failed in our defensive block and paid the price,” he told CAF Media after the match.
The team was anxious. We couldn’t launch transitions, and the pressure was a decisive factor in the loss.”
Ayoub Ghezala broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, heading home expertly from a well-delivered corner kick.
In the second half, Abderrahmane Meziane doubled the Desert Foxes’ advantage following a fluid counter-attacking move.
Moments later, Soufiane Bayazid sealed Uganda’s misery with a third goal, capitalizing on another lapse in concentration.
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Byekwaso admitted that after the opening goal, the team lost emotional control, with players becoming visibly tense and erratic.
However, he remains optimistic about the talent within the squad.
After the first goal, we collapsed emotionally. We missed chances, lost the ball cheaply, and failed to manage the game,” Byekwaso admitted.
I believe we have good players. Now we must recover mentally, accept our mistakes, and work to improve before the next game.”
The coach highlighted glaring deficiencies particularly in transitional play, aerial contests, and midfield cohesion.
Despite fielding a physically imposing lineup, Uganda was outmatched in aerial duels and struggled to maintain composure under pressure.
“The midfield lacked control, and we were too stretched. We need to tighten up and keep things simple,” he explained.
Still, the Cranes’ head coach maintains that all is not lost. With two matches remaining in Group C, he believes there is still a path to qualification but only if urgent improvements are made.
“We’ll talk to the players. We need more control of the game and must strengthen the midfield. We still have two matches to show our real character,” he said.
Uganda now faces an uphill task in Group C, with crucial fixtures looming against Niger and South Africa.