Roundup
Full-time: DR Congo 0-2 Uganda
The Cranes are off to a flier thanks to a thoroughly deserved victory, their first at the Africa Cup of Nations for 41 years! They were the better team in all departments - more organised, more dynamic, smarter and sharper. Kaddu and Okwi scored the goal from setpieces but Uganda were also dominant in open play. This was an impressive performance and sets them up nicely for possible progression to the next round. DR Congo were frankly dreadful.
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90+1 min: Wait? actually, Uganda are trying to increase their lead. They cut through Congo’s ragged midfield again before slipping in Muleme, whose shot on the run whizzes over.
90 min: Uganda will have to wait at least three more minutes before they can celebrate.
88 min: Juuko and Muleme join forces to dispossess Elia on the left wing.
Uganda substitution: Awany on, Miya off.
86 min: Assombalonga wins a foul about 40 yards out.The freekick is curled into the area but Wasswa nods it back out.
84 min: Lovely footwork again in midfield by Miya. He has been my man of the match today. Like his teammates he has worked tirelessly, and also been very nimble in possession and a precise and clever distributor of the ball.
83 min: Elia dinks in a teasing cross from the left. Onyango rises high above Assombalonga to make a safe catch.
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Uganda substitution: Muleme on, Lumala off.
79 min: As Lumala is carried off the pitch on a stretcher after a heavy fall following a challenge with Bolingi, Azira rushes up to the referee to ask how much time is remaining. Uganda are close to their first victory in this tournament for 41 years ...
77 min: Okwi receives the ball mid-way inside the Congolese half and is allowed to turn and jog towards the box. When a defender eventually comes to confront him, Okwi sidesteps him easily .... and then tonks the ball way over the bar.
Uganda substitution: Kyambaddde on, Kaddu off after a fine performance.
74 min: Bakambu - hugely disappointing so far - miscontrols in the Congolese box, allowing Wasswa to hammer the ball clear.
71 min: The excellent Kaddu works back to nick the ball off Masuaku: Uganda’s dynamism has been in stark contrast to the sluggishness of Dr Congo all day, and no one has encapsulated it better than Kaddu.
DR Congo substitution: Assombolanga on, Bolasie off after making no impact.
70 min: Elia clips a decent cross into the area. It headed back out. But Bopé hooks it back in, and Bolingi nods it over the keeper ... and on to the crossbar!
68 min: Lumala hurtles down the right, leaving Masuaku panting in his wake. Then he delivers a nicely aimed cross. Kaddu gets to it first ... but doesn’t make a true connection, scuffing the ball wide from seven yards!
66 min: Kaddu finds space again in the Congolese box and chests the ball back for Okwi, who cracks a half-volley against the post!
64 min: Elia drops his shoulder and darts in-field from the left wing, then unloads a shot that takes a deflection. Bolinghi stretches out a leg in a bid to turn it into the net but the keeper snaffles the ball first and cops a bang of Bolingi’s boot. No real harm done, though.
DR Congo substitution: Maghoma on, Mbemba off.
63 min: Bopé gives away yet another freekick. presenting Uganda with a shooting opportunity from about 25 yards. The freekick is almost bang centre. Miya curls it over the wall but into the arms of Matampi.
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61 min: Okwi cuts in from the right wing and tries to arrow a shot into the far corner. But instead he finds an empty seat in the stands. Which isn’t hard considering about 95% of them are empty.
59 min: Uganda have to do a bit of serious defending for the first time in the second half. And they don’t do it particularly well, as Bope is left free to meet a delivery from Bolasie from the right. But Bope’s header is even worse than the defending, as he misses the target by about six yards.
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56 min: Miya sends a superb dipping freekick from 30 yards towards the top corner ... but Mutampi keeps his eye on it and backpedals to tip it over the bar.
54 min: DR Congo can’t string two passes together at the moment. It’s as if they’re frazzled by Uganda’s relative strength and slickness.
53 min: Bope booked for flicking out a foot at Miya in midfield. Pure frustration. DR Congo look off the pace and ragged.
DR Congo substitution: Bolingi on, M’Poku off.
50 min: We knew beforehand that Uganda were dangerous from setpieces and both their goals have come from them (the first from a corner, the second a freekick). But the fact is they have also been the far superior team in open play. If it carries on like this, they are not only going to win this match, they are going to do so emphatically.
GOAL! DR Congo 0-2 Uganda (Okwi 47)
Having been fouled for the freekick, Okwi takes his revenge by sending a superb back header into the net from 12 yards. The delivery from Miya was beautiful, inviting Okwi to guide it into the net, which he did perfectly. As for DR Congo’s defenders, they were mere spectators.
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47 min: Congo remain second to the ball all over the pitch. And a slovenly tackle by Issama on Okwi gives Uganda a freekick on the left wing. Danger here ...
46 min: Dr Congo restart the game, but have they rebooted their system during the break? They need a drastic improvement to get the better of Uganda now.
Half-time: DR Congo 0-1 Uganda
It’s been an excellent half from the underdogs, who fully deserve to be in front. In fact, they may be disappointed not to have a bigger lead - they have been by far the sharper and more coherent team, dominant in midfield and, with Kaddu, have an attacker whose movement is causing regular problems. Before this game DR Congo talked about winning this tournament but they’re heading for an embarrassing defeat if they don’t buck up their ideas.
45+2 min: DR Congo scramble a corner away as Mugabi threatened to turn it into the net from close range.
45+1 min: Bolasie latches on to a long clearance from the back. As he tries to wriggle into a shooting position at the edge of the box, he’s clattered by Juuku. But the referee spots the Bolasie was going down before being hit so books him for diving.
45 min: Aucho intercepts a stay pass in midfield and begins building yet another Ugandan attack. DR Congo are frankly a mess at the moment.
44 min: Masuakupicks out a nice low pass to Bakambu, who collects it with his back to goal. He pulls away from the defender and gets off a shot on the turn ... it’s heading towards the bottom corner until Onyango plunges to his right and pushes it out for a corner!
42 min: Miya cracks one just over t he bar from the edge of the area.
40 min: Miya races on to a threaded pass into the box, beating the keeper to it and then going down. No penalty! There’s no doubt the attacker was first to the ball but the ref seems to have turned down the appeals because he went down before actually being touched by the keeper.
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38 min: Impish skill by Miya in midfield, as he rides one tackle and then gracefully sidesteps another before being brought down. The Ugandan midfielders in general have been far better than their opponents.
37 min: Kaddu embarks on a strong run down the left before being upended by Luyindama. That gives Uganda an opportunity to send in a freekick from the left. Miya’s delivery is so bad he even laughs at it himself! He kicked the ground before the ball.
35 min: Juuko booked for a sneaky tackle in midfield on Mbemba, who was threatening to instigate a counter-attack.
33 min: Play resumes and Uganda continue to be the sharper, tidier side. They’re outplaying DR Congo, simple as that.
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31 min: Very sensibly, the referee calls for a pause so that players can take on board some water. It’s boiling out there.
30 min: Bolasie runs in to meet a corner at the back post ... but bumps into his Bakambu and thus makes a mess of his header: the goal was at his mercy from eight yards!
29 min: Aucho has a blast with his left foot from 25 yards. It’s a ferocious effort and takes a little deflection, but Matampi deals with it well, diving to his left and clasping it safely to his chest.
26 min: “Tell you what, a good enough defence from Uganda might just block out the equaliser and earn them a shock victory,” parps Abhijato Sensarma. “Of course, I’m thinking too far ahead, but tell me this about the team -- how’s Uganda’s defence?” So far, so good, Abhijato, except for that moment of laxity when Bakambu was left free to receive the ball on the edge of the area. Fortunately for Uganda, they got away with that one. Apart from that they’ve done well, and Bolasie has now switched from the left wing to the right in the hope of having more success there.
24 min: Bolasie does well to hold on to the ball in midfield under tenacious pestering by Aucho. But Dr Congo’s attack ends with a rather desperate effort from long range by Bope.
21 min: The Leopards can’t play their way through midfield because of their own lack of cohesion and the dynamism and organisation of Uganda. It’s a poor show so far from the Congolese, but Cranes fans must be delighted with how superior their team have looked so far.
19 min: Kaddu peels away from the Congolese defence again, this time to connect with a lovely cross from the right by Walusimbi. Kaddu heads for goal from a difficult angle, and Matampi beats his shot away. A panicky Congolese defence complete the clearance. They’re all over the shop back there! Kaddu’s movement has them all a-fluster.
17 min: That was a perfect header by Kaddu, who celebrated with uplifting joy. And the 23-year-old who plays for Kampala Capital City Authority should have scored another just now - after eluding the Leopards’ negligent defenders, he latched on to a cross from the right but guided his header wide from eight yards!
GOAL! DR Congo 0-1 Uganda (Kaddu 15)
The Cranes takes a shock lead thanks to a tremendous near-post header by Kaddu from an inswinging corner by Miya!
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14 min: Lumala dashes down the right and delivers a good cross, which Miya heads out for a corner.
13 min: The Ugandan defence is prised part easily with a pass from the left by Mbemba. Bakambu mis-controls when through on goal, knocking the ball behind him so that he has to turn back and then shoot on the swivel. His ensuing shot from the edge of the box hasn’t enough to trouble Onyango in goal.
12 min: Bokadi strides through midfield before inviting Bolasie to go on a scamper down the left. But Mugabi does well to prevent the winger from making gains.
10 min: Uganda have pushed their opponents on the back foot over the last few minutes, without creating any openings yet.
8 min: Okwi charges down an attempted clearance by Luyindama, clobbering the man in the process. The Moroccan ref decides against a booking, in keeping with the lenient spirit shown in the tournament’s opener last night.
6 min: Uganda attack for the first time. Lumala collects the ball with his back to goal wide on the right and then turns sharply and sets off on a buzzing run in-field. He looks for a one-two with Okwi but it doesn’t come off.
5 min: Luyindula launches a long ball towards Bakambu, who can’t get on the end of it.
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3 min: Tisserand launches himself at a dangerous cross from the left wing. He misses it by millimetres, so next Bolasie tries. But he, too, fails to get his head to the ball so the cross flies wide, much to the relief of Uganda.
1 min: DR Congo v Uganda is go! It hasn’t exactly captured the imagination of the Egyptian public, apparently, because there seems to be more people (23) on the pitch than in the stands. No matter, some good action is in store.
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The players are on the pitch, doing their last stretches and knockabouts. Kickoff is nigh ...
While the teams limber up, you might like to have a gander at this little piece on Mauritania, who’ll be making their tournament debut on Monday against Mali. They’ve come along way:
Teams
DR Congo: Matampi; Mpeko, Luyindama, Mbemba, Tisserand, Masuaku, M’Poku, Bokadi, Elia, Bolasie, Bakambu
Subs: Muzinga, Ungenda, Akolo, Mputu, Bolingi, Moke, Mossi, Assombolanga, Maghoma, Shabani, Mandanda
Uganda: Onyango; Mugabi, Walusimbi, Wasswa, Juuko; Azira; Aucho, Miya, Lumala; Okwi, Kaddu
Subs: Odongkara, Ochaya, Awany, Lwanga, Kizito, Nsibambi, Mukiibi, Kateregga, Wadada, Magoola, Muleme, Kyambadde
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Preamble
Hello and welcome. This should be a hoot. Youssouf Mulumbu, captain of the Leopards, reckons his team have the ability not to only beat Uganda today but to go on to reach the final of the tournament. You’ve got to admire his ambition but he’ll no doubt be aware that just getting out of Group A will be no easy task: Egypt already have three points in the bag thanks to yesterday’s victory over Zimbabwe, but Zimbabwe showed in that match that they are a nifty side who could still advance – a fact of which DR Congo are already well aware, given that the Leopards only made it to this tournament by scrambling into runners-up spot in their qualifying group – below none other than Zimbabwe, who beat them home and away. So the battle in Group A is set to be fierce, which means DR Congo have to hit the ground running today.
And so,m of course, do Uganda. The Cranes do not fancy themselves as potential champions but they do have hopes of reaching the next round and know they will probably need at least one win to get there: today’s match is probably the best chance of getting that win. They are certainty not the most fluid attackers in the tournament, and have little of the flair that DR Congo can summon, but Uganda are a decent unit and a menace from setpieces. A difference in expectations, then, and a difference in styles, and probably only scope for one, if any, of these teams to get out of the group. It’s on!
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