Teen Cranes show promise ahead of Zambia trip
Imposing. U-17 defender Bethany Kaluya in a test match against Kampala Queens. PHOTOS/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Uganda beat Cameroon 4-2 on aggregate in the second round, after earning a bye in the first, with the 3-1 win coming away from home in February.
National women’s team coach Sheryl Botes is happy with the character of the Teen Cranes squad ahead of their trip to Zambia.
They are preparing to travel to Zambia for the first leg of the third round of the Africa 2024 U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifier due May 12 at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
Uganda beat Cameroon 4-2 on aggregate in the second round, after earning a bye in the first, with the 3-1 win coming away from home in February.
So the side will travel to Lusaka with a lot of confidence that they can still win from a tough place – much of which Botes saw when they came from an early 1-0 deficit to beat Fufa Women Super League (FWSL) defending champions Kampala Queens (KQ) 2-1 at MTN Omondi Stadium, Lugogo on Monday.
“I am proud of the girls, they have done really well,” Botes said in the post-match remarks.
“They showed character and that they want to be in the team,” she added.
Composed. Teen Cranes' Esther Nangendo (C) was too much to handle for the Kampala Queens midfield of Damali Matama (background) and Teddy Najjuma (shirt 23).
The test match was played in thirds of thirty minutes each. KQ had an early penalty that partly altered the plan of the coach who had wanted to work on “seven key components defensively.”
More intensity
“We gave all players a chance and even though we won today, it does not matter. We tried to find back-up, combinations, the right players for the positions and formation we would like to use against Zambia.
We worked on seven key components defensively and gave them duties that some did really well and some did not.
But we still have two days to put things right and hopefully we can squeeze in another friendly. The training intensity will never be the same as the one for the match,” Botes said.
She was, however, impressed that even without much focus on the offensive structure, the players showed they had “the character to go forward” as they won courtesy of a goal from Gift Nabukenya and an own goal from Asia Nakibuuka.
2024 Women’s World Cup
Africa Qualifiers
Third Round: Zambia vs. Uganda
First Leg: May 12 at Nkoloma Stadium, Lusaka
Second Leg: May 17 at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende
