Uganda coach McKinstry confident of bright future after CHAN elimination

Uganda coach Jonathan McKinstry believes they have learnt valuable lessons from their participation in the TOTAL African Nations Championship (CHAN) despite their failure to advance to the knockout stages of the tournament in Cameroon.

The British coach is confident their performance in the tournament will help him build a stronger Cranes squad for their upcoming matches following their early exit.

Uganda crashed out of the competition on Tuesday when they were defeated 5-2 by title holders Morocco in Douala and left them with just one point after three matches.

Two goals by Soufiane Rahimi and further strikes by Ayoub El Kaabi, Hamza El Moussaoui, and an own goal by goalkeeper Charles Lukwago steered the Atlas Lions to the victory.

Midfielders Ibrahim Orit and Saidi Kyeyune scored for the Ugandans but their efforts were not enough to prevent them from the heavy defeat.

The result means the Cranes finished bottom of the group with just one point after three matches in the group and McKinstry believes they could have won the match but for the penalty converted by Ayoub El Kaabi near the end of the first half.

“We could have avoided the penalty before the break. Morocco delivered a good game,” the Uganda coach said in the post-match press conference.

“We could have killed the match but the Moroccans were tough, and the score does not reflect the face of the meeting.

“We leave empty-handed with a lot of regret, however we have a basis for working on the future.”

Morocco top the group with seven points and keep their hopes of retaining the title they won on home soil of the competition designed exclusively for home-based players.