Cranes battling history at Afcon

Nostalgia. Cranes agaist Ghana in 1978.

KAMPALA. History is to weigh heavily against Uganda when they take to the field to face Group A rivals Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe at the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations that commenced yesterday in Cairo, Egypt. This is because Uganda has a negative head to head record in competitive matches against all three opponents. The Cranes’ campaign gets underway against twice champions DR Congo at 5pm (EAT) today.

In 11 previous encounters between Sebastian Desabre’s 1978 losing finalists and Florent Ibenge’s two-time champions DR Congo, Uganda has triumphed only four times and lost on six occasions; netting a paltry eight goals and conceding twenty two. The record against Sunday Chidzamba’s Zimbabwe is slightly worse, with Uganda beating Zimbabwe just twice out of 15 meetings. More than half the encounters (eight) against the Southern Africans have ended in stalemates.
If the Cranes’ record against DR Congo and Zimbabwe makes sombre reading, their record in encounters with seven time champions Egypt is ghastly. In 16 competitive clashes with Javier Aguirre’s Pharaohs, the Cranes have only emerged on the winning side once. Otherwise, they have lost 13 times, conceding a whooping 33 goals while netting a paltry twelve. Uganda’s all time record defeat is actually a 1995 0-6 hiding at the Pharaohs hands.

But the gap between the sides has been narrowing. Cranes coach Desabre can take solace from the fact that in 2017 Uganda edged Egypt 1-0 in a Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, before succumbing by a similar margin in Alexandria two weeks later. The Cranes’ last encounter with DR Congo was meanwhile a 1-0 victory in a Nile Basin tournament hosted by Egypt.

Egypt 2019 is Uganda’s seventh appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Cranes were runners up at the 1978 finals, the continent’s fourth best in 1962, sixth at the 1974 edition won by DR Congo and twice ended up eighth (1968 and 1976). Uganda’s worst performance was in Gabon 2017 when Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevich’s side finished thirteenth. This is the first time twenty four teams are participating in Africa’s showpiece football event.