Uganda must overcome opening away game jinx

What you need to know:

Soccer. Neither coach Micho Sredojevic nor any current Cranes player was born the first time Uganda won their maiden away Afcon qualifying match - in 1962. The next only such win came in 1973. Uganda will want to edit that history away to Comoros on Saturday

KAMPALA. Uganda was a year away in 1961 from attaining her Independence from Britain when Cranes, for the first time, entered the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Neighbours Kenya were Cranes’ opponents, with Uganda going to Nairobi and winning their first ever away qualifier 1-0 in the 1962 Afcon campaign before the Harambee Stars revenged in equal currency in Kampala.
Regulations stipulated that the tie be decided by drawing of lots, as with Ghana and Nigeria in the previous round, but Kenya and Uganda felt the match should be decided on the pitch. Caf agreed to their request to stage a playoff and Cranes edged it 2-1 in Kampala to debut at the finals, where they eventually finished fourth.
That win in Nairobi, and another 1-0 victory away in Tanzania in the 1974 Afcon qualifiers, however, remain the only maximum points picked by Uganda in their first away qualifying match, representing a woeful 9.5 per cent winning rate.
As Uganda continue with yet another campaign to end a 37-year wait to grace Afcon with their first away match in the 2017 qualifiers against Comoros on Saturday, Cranes players will hope to edit that history.
“For me I just keep it in mind, not as a bother but as motivation to try and improve or do things differently this time around,” Brian Umony, scorer of the second goal in Uganda’s 2-0 victory over Botswana in June, told Daily Monitor.
The Ethiopia-based striker is currently training with his Cranes colleagues in Njeru as they prepare to travel to Comoros tomorrow.
“We need maximum points just to make sure this time,” he added, “We clearly might have a chance this time. Usually winning your first two games sets the tempo on how you might end up in the group.” Uganda and Burkina Faso jointly top Group D with three points after one game.

Cranes’ first away ties since ‘87
Afcon 2015 qualifiers
6 September 2014
Ghana 1–1 Uganda
Afcon 2013 qualifiers
(home and away playoffs)
29 February 2012
Congo 3 – 1 Uganda
(Uganda recovered 4-0 in K’la to advance)
Afcon 2012 qualifiers
9 October 2010
Kenya 0–0 Uganda
Afcon 2010 qualifiers
8 June 2008
Benin 4 – 1 Uganda
Afcon 2008 qualifiers
8 October 2006
Niger 0 – 0 Uganda
Afcon 2006 qualifiers
19 June 2004
Cape Verde 1 – 0 Uganda
Afcon 2004 qualifiers
29 March 2003
Rwanda 0–0 Uganda
Afcon 2002 qualifiers
8 October 2000
Togo 3–0 Uganda
Afcon 2000 qualifiers
24 January 1999
Liberia 2–0 Uganda
Afcon 1996 qualifiers
3 September 1994
Tanzania 4 – 0 Uganda
Afcon 1994 qualifiers
29 August 1992
Nigeria 2 – 0 Uganda
Afcon 1992 qualifiers
19 August 1990
Gabon 1 – 0 Uganda
Afcon 1988 qualifiers (h & a playoffs)
29 March 1987 Cameroon 5–1 Uganda