Onyango warns Egypt are more than Mo Salah

KAMPALA. Mohamed Salah arrives in the country with a special gift for former Cranes skipper Ibrahim Sekagya’s son when the Egyptians touch down at Entebbe Airport this afternoon.
“Thank you Sadio Mane for the jersey,” wrote Sekagya, temporarily part of the Cranes technical team, on his Facebook page, “You have sent it through the right person. My son is already excited. He can’t wait to receive it.”
Sekagya, also part of the coaching staff at New York Red Bulls, is good friends with Mane after the two enjoyed good times as teammates at Red Bull Salzburg.

That “right person” bringing the jersey for Sekagya’s son happens to be Salah. Mind you, the Egyptian is also capable of delivering bad news to Uganda, his pass to Abdallah El-Said to kill off Cranes in Gabon in January testament to that. “This one bringing the jersey is the one we must stop during Uganda versus Egypt,” added Sekagya, in Luganda (a local dialect), in a message accompanied by naughty emojis.

Sekagya’s message was posted alongside a picture of Mane and Salah, the two holding the Senegalese’s Liverpool shirt before they set off for their respective countries’ assignments.
Both Salah, who scored one and created another, and Mane were in devastating form as Liverpool tore, to threads, Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday.

The Egyptian’s form since arriving at Liverpool from Roma this season has been in ascendency, and Pharaohs coach Hector Cuper will be hoping Salah replicates that against Uganda in the first of the back-to-back World Cup qualifiers on Thursday at Namboole.
But Uganda captain Denis Onyango believes that if the Cranes are to get something out of the game, they must be prepared to look at more than Salah.

Rain break
“Egypt has many quality players,” Onyango, who – together with fellow Cranes players endured a downpour during training at Namboole yesterday morning, told Daily Monitor.
Coach Moses Basena had to call off the training after 40 minutes non-stop rain, the players trudging off drenched. They later returned in the evening to play a practice match against KCCA.
“So if we concentrate on individuals I don’t think we will win the game. If we concentrate on Salah, any other person will come and score.
“They have got aggressive players playing in Zamalek, Al Ahly who are very good on the continent.
“So for me I think we need to focus on the entire team. Even when we played them in Afcon, it’s not Mohamed Salah who scored.
“I’m not saying we shall ignore Salah, because even in Gabon the pass to score came from him.
“All I’m saying is that we need concentration in all departments because we are facing a team that uses more of the brain than just aggressiveness.”
Egypt top E with six points from two matches, leading Uganda by two. Ghana and Congo Brazzaville complete the group, where only the winner will qualify for Russia 2018 World Cup.

2018 WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION
P W D L F A GD PTS

Egypt 2 2 0 0 4 1 3 6
Uganda 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 4
Ghana 2 0 1 1 0 2 -2 1
Congo 2 0 0 2 1 3 -2 0

Uganda results so far
12 Nov 2016: Uganda 1-0 Congo
07 Oct 2016: Ghana 0-0 Uganda

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