Uganda given reason to dream of qualification

Cranes skipper Andy Mwesigwa (R) beats Guinea’s Ismael Bangoura during the Nations Cup qualifier at Namboole on Wednesday night. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

Afcon 2015. If Cranes beat Togo at Namboole next month, they will hold onto Group E leadership provided they maintain a better goal difference than Ghana, who face Guinea.

KAMPALA. For many Ugandans, discussion of qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations borders has morphed into irrelevance after many heartbreaking campaigns.
Until it (qualification) happens, it is an issue they tend to treat with glumness borne out of succession of failure. Cranes coach Micho Sredojevic is not looking far ahead, opting to address the campaign game by game.
Qualification is not something he is telling the players. “The formula is that every match is a Cup final,” says the former Rwanda coach. “Every match has its special preparation from factors inside and outside of the game.” For Micho, the biggest challenge is the next game always. Before Saturday, it was Guinea. Uganda’s most formidable obstacle now is Togo, a country with zero points but proven pedigree.
“Failing to plan means planning to fail,” Micho stresses. He has already started putting together his scouting detail for Emmanuel Adebayor’s side knowing that victory in that game will take Cranes on the cusp of qualification.
If Cranes beat Togo at Namboole next month, they will hold onto Group E leadership provided they maintain a better goal difference than Ghana, who face Guinea.
Seven points with three games to play, in a qualification campaign taking the top two sides from every group and the best third-placed team in the groups, will leave Uganda tantalizingly close to Morocco 2015.
There is reason yet again to believe that 37 years of hurt are about to end. The two opening performances in Kumasi and Namboole were compelling evidence.