Tunisia eased past a Ugandan side that allowed two goals in the first half, finishing the match 3-1. Ellyes Skhiri and Mohamed Elias Achouri provided first half goals for Tunisia, with Achouri getting his brace in the second. With Matchday 1 for Group C complete, Les Aigles de Carthage (Eagles of Carthage) steal the top spot from Nigeria by goal differential (2-1), sending Tanzania to third place and Uganda to fourth.
The first half saw Paul Put’s men from Uganda on the back foot, constantly dealing with the Eagles’ attack. That constant pressure didn’t stop the Cranes from finding opportunities, as they had six shots in the opening 45 minutes. Uganda came out in a 4-4-1-1 formation while Tunisia opted for a standard 4-3-3.
The rain continued to pour in the second half, but the fans and the football were still lively. Both sides were struggling in attack until the 64th minute, when Tunisia’s Achouri earned his brace for the evening. The technical forward, who plays club-level ball for København in Denmark, waited in the box to poach a deflection from goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola.
In the 82nd minute, the Tunisians had a prime opportunity to increase their lead from a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Premier League man Hannibal Mejbri, known better as “Hannibal”, curled a rocket from outside the box that was curling to the top corner. The effort tested Magoola, who was quick to leap towards the far post and deflect the ball out for a corner kick.
The Cranes were able to gather a consolation goal before the final whistle after some confusion in front of goal. After a cross came into the box, a missed clearance opportunity from Tunisia opened a small window of opportunity for Uganda. Denis Omedi pounced on the opportunity and immediately took a chance. After deflecting off a defender and passing behind keeper Aymen Dahmen, Omedi was able to give Ugandan fans a brief moment of joy, scoring his side’s only goal and erasing Dahmen’s clean sheet.
After the loss, the Cranes will regroup and prepare for Saturday’s match, an East African derby against Tanzania at 12:30 PM/ET. Group leaders Tunisia will prepare for what’s slated to be a thrilling match full of stars when they take on Nigeria as the 3:00 PM/ET match to follow Uganda-Tanzania.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Anthony Reaves