Put hails second half display In gutsy Uganda draw

Uganda National Team head coach Paul Put has hailed his side’s second half display against South Africa in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifier at the Orlando Stadium on Friday evening.

The Cranes had a relatively slow start to the match, as the hosts took early dominance in front of a buoyant Orlando crowd.

Naturally, their early dominance saw the South Africans take the lead into the half-time break thanks to a goal from England-based Lyle Foster, with Uganda left seeking for answers.

However, there was a complete turnaround from the East African side in the second stanza, as they not only equalized, but took the lead in a two-minute frenzy thanks to goals from Denis Omedi and Rogers Mato.

The match would eventually end in a 2-2 with the sides sharing the spoils after debutant, Thalente Mbatha found the equaliser for the hosts.

“ I think we were very lucky in the first half. We were not in the game. We were nowhere. I didn’t recognise my players, they were playing like children with too much respect for South Africa and we were lucky that we only conceded one goal.

“We had some talks during halftime in the dressing room and I told them that we have to do it another way and that we have to show the real Uganda like we did against Botswana and Algeria.

“In the second half we saw a much better team with more aggression, more creativity. We scored from long-distance shots, which is also part of the game. But in the beginning, if you could come to South Africa and sign for a draw, you would be happy” said Put.

The Belgian added that conceding in the last dying minutes was a bitter pill to swallow for his side, with a historic victory in sight.

“It’s a bit of a hard feeling because we conceded with two minutes to go. But we could have taken all three points. I’m not saying it’s the right result, but you know in football sometimes the best team doesn’t win,” he continued.