LIVE: Mucureezi grabs 4 – Uganda 5 South Sudan 1

Total African Nations Championship 2018-Kenya

FT: Uganda 5 South Sudan 1  (5-1)

Paul Mucureezi grabbed four goals as Uganda hammered South Sudan 5-1 in their CHAN qualifier against South Sudan at Lugogo on Saturday. Derrick Nsibambi gave Uganda a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute before Mucureezi grabbed his first on 38 minutes, before completing a hattrick five minutes after the start of the 2nd half.

Nsibambi was injured in a collision with the South Sudan goalkeeper when he scored the opener.

Tweets about @OfficialFUFA

Kampala, Uganda | KCCAFC MEDIA |   Uganda Cranes head coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevich has opted to start his top marksman Geofrey Sserunkuma on the bench in today’s CHAN qualifier against South Sudan.

Derrick Nsibambi will now have the full responsibility to unlock the South Sudan defence with Sserunkuma studying options on the bench in case goals do no come as fast as planned.

With Sserunkuma on the bench, Nico Wakiro Wadada, the deputy captain will assume the full responsibility.

In comes Moses Waiswa and Shafiq Kagimu for Geofrey Sserunkuma and Paul Musamali respectively who started in the first leg away at the Juba stadium.

Goalkeeper Saidi Keni, Paul Musamali, Nicholas Kasozi, Mucureezi, Masiko, Simon Sserunkuma and Geoffrey Sserunkuma are the team substitutes.

“With due respect to our opponents and the game of football I have asked my players to relax and enjoy their game tomorrow. We have worked so hard to correct the few mistakes that I and my technical team noticed last weekend and also tried to resolve our biggest weakness last weekend of lacking efficiency at converting the chances we got,” Micho stated after his last training at Lugogo.

Tanzania referees will officiate the match that kicks off at 4 p.m.

The Aggregate winner from today’s African Nations Championship second qualifying round fixtures will advance to the final qualifying round due in August

Uganda Cranes XI: Ismael Watenga (GK), Nico Wakiro Wadada (CAPTAIN),Isaac Muleme, Savio Kabugo, Timothy Awanyi, Benard Muwanga, Milton Kariisa, Moses Waiswa, Derrick Nsibambi, Muzamiru Mutyaba, Shafiq Kagimu

Subs: Saidi Keni (GK), Paul Musamali, Nicholas Kasozi, Paul Mucureezi, Tom Masiko, Simon Sserunkuma, Geoffrey Sserunkuma.

KO: 4pm

Saturday 22nd July, 2017

Philip Omondi Stadium, Lugogo

Charges: 15,000/- (Ordinary), VIP (25,000/-), VVIP (50,000/-)

Live on 102.1 FUFA f.m

******

Zimbabwe wield axe in pursuit of Sunday best

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Zimbabwe coach Sunday Chidzambwa has wielded the axe for an African Nations Championship qualifier against Namibia Sunday, hoping to avoid going from hero to zero within 15 days.

The former national team captain and centre-back was hailed as a national hero after guiding his country to victory in the COSAFA Cup southern Africa tournament this month.

But the “Warriors” suffered a surprise 1-0 away defeat by rusty Namibia last weekend in the first leg of a second round qualifier for the 2018 Nations Championship in Kenya.

Chidzambwa reacted to the loss in Windhoek by ditching four players and calling up 11 as he increased his squad to 25 players for the match at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.

He believes his side underestimated opponents who have not played competitively for more than a year because of feud between Namibian football association and league officials.

“I feel there was a bit of complacency among my boys because they failed to perform as they normally do,” he told reporters in the Zimbabwe capital.

“We have increased the size of the squad to give us more options while dropping some players nad bringing in others. Hopefully, the reshuffle will have the desired effect.”

Defender Ocean Mushure and midfielder Talent Chawapiwa, scorers in the 3-1 COSAFA Cup final triumph over Zambia in South Africa, both survived the chop.

Namibia coach Ricardo Mannetti, another former national team star-cum-coach, insists his team remain underdogs despite winning the first leg without conceding a goal.

“Zimbabwe remain favourites as they have just won the COSAFA Cup, have home advantage and lots of depth in their squad,” he said after arriving in Harare.

“We must show the same fighting spirit, good attitude and ability to play a high-tempo game as in Windhoek to have any chance of survival.”

Qualifying for the Nations Championship — a biennial competition restricted to home-based footballers — is staged regionally to curb travel time and costs.

Another intriguing south zone fixture pits Lesotho against the Comoros in Maseru, an often chilly capital city at this time of year during the southern hemisphere winter.

Comoros hold a 2-0 advantage through goals from Ibroihim Youssouf and Raidou Boina Bacar as they seek overall success and a date with Zimbabwe or Namibia during August.

Rwanda and Uganda fancied to advance

Uganda and 2016 Nations Championship hosts Rwanda are set to advance in the east zone afer forcing draws away to South Sudan and Tanzania respectively.

Sudan visit Burundi for a delayed first leg and Ethiopia received a walkover when the Djibouti national team was dissolved after a 5-1 first leg drubbing at home.

In the west, Benin, Guinea, 2016 runners-up Mali, Mauritania and Senegal enjoy home advantage and are likely to emerge overall winners.