Eleven talking points from the Uganda-Lesotho game

Okwi’s left foot
The last man to score a competitive goal at Namboole was Emma Okwi – with a sweet left foot thump against Egypt last year. The man of the match repeated the trick for the opening goal, a glorious peach of a strike.

Desabre’s favoured team
The 0-0 stalemate with Tanzania was met with scorn by many observers. But Desabre maintained the squad that faced the Taifa Stars; the only change being a tactical adjustment to accommodate Edirisa Lubega for the suspended Murushid Juuko. Now we have a vague clue of Desabre’s best Uganda Cranes XI.

Two sides of Lubega
Lubega started his first senior game for Cranes and can be happy with his contribution. His touch remains quite laboured, something you could blame on nerves given the stage on Saturday. But he set up Okwi’s third with a well worked cross. The jury remains out.

Lesotho can play
As Cranes touched down in Maseru yesterday, they ought to beware. The Crocodiles can play. In the opening exchanges at Namboole, the South African country fashioned three palpable chances and converted none. They were polished in possession.

Not Onyango’s best day
True he kept a clean sheet but this was not Onyango’s best day. He was slow in reaction, distributed the ball poorly and slipped as he made a first half save.

Improved Namboole turf
For back-to-back games now, the Namboole turf is looking a soccer pitch. It is clear an effort has been made to maintain and preserve the playing area. Kudos Jamil Ssewanyana.

Perfect treble
Uganda’s goals were the perfect treble. The first was scored with the left leg, the second with a right leg and the last one a header.

Decent turn out
We have seen Namboole full to capacity many times before. A game against Lesotho, a team of no bodies, was never going to sell out the tickets. But there was a decent crowd that turned up.

Clean sheet
Yet again, the Cranes defence is standing out. Uganda have played 270 minutes of this campaign and conceded no goal. The team could have fielded a different set of goalkeeper and defenders and managed kept a clean sheet.

Functioning scoreboard
The Namboole scoreboard on Saturday was functional all throughout with the right time and scores. Today it is a given but it has not always been that way. There is someone at the Stadium who has done his job well.

No tucking in
What happened to smartness on the pitch? All 22 players and substitutes who took part in the Uganda-Lesotho game never tucked in their shirts. Perhaps it is a fashionable trend in the modern game.