Left-back Azizi Kayondo and winger Jude Semugabi were the heroes of the night, scoring the crucial goals that lifted coach Paul Put’s side to the top of Group K.
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The Uganda Cranes Squad that defeated Congo Brazzaville on Monday night
Uganda Cranes secured their first victory in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, defeating Congo Brazzaville 2-0 at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
This was the Cranes' first home AFCON qualifier since 2020, played in front of a nearly full stadium. Left-back Azizi Kayondo and winger Jude Semugabi were the heroes of the night, scoring the crucial goals that lifted coach Paul Put’s side to the top of Group K.
Kayondo opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a cross-turned-shot from the left wing that beat the goalkeeper and found the far right post.
Forward Rogers Mato missed a clear one-on-one chance just before halftime, leaving Uganda with a slender 1-0 lead at the break. In the second half, Congo launched several attacks, but Uganda’s goalkeeper Ismael Wagenda made crucial saves to keep his side ahead.
With 20 minutes left, Uganda made tactical changes, bringing on defenders Halid Lwaliwa and Allan Okello for Elio Capradossi and Travis Mutyaba. The substitutions reinvigorated the Cranes, who regained control of the match. In the 85th minute, Okello made a run down the right flank and delivered a perfect cross to Semugabi, who tapped in Uganda’s second goal.
Uganda entered the match looking to bounce back from their previous game, where they conceded a late equalizer against South Africa and were denied a perfect start in the qualifier. Historically, Congo has never beaten Uganda in a major qualifier at Namboole, with the Cranes boasting four wins, three losses, and one draw in their last eight encounters before today’s game therefore the Cranes entered the game at an advantage.
Speaking to journalists at the post-match press conference, Congo’s coach said his team committed many mistakes against a highly motivated team and this cost them. “We made many mistakes yet we were playing a team that is difficult to catch. We tried to organise in the second half to see that we get an equalizer but we failed at it. It’s up to us to organize and get back” he said
On his part, the Uganda Cranes coach Paul Put, said that his players despite having limited time to rest after the game in South Africa, showed a positive mentality and he was happy with their display. “After the game from South Africa, we had one day to rest but I want to congratulate the players because they showed mentality, I’m very happy with the results. Now that we have four points from the two games I think we are on the right try,” Put said
“We started quite well, the first goal was a little bit of a lucky one but it was a nice goal. We had a chance to score a second goal but we failed, I think if we scored the second goal in the first half, it would have been easy for us,” The victory puts Uganda on top of Group K with four points from two games and a positive goal difference of two.
Congo trails with three points, while South Africa and South Sudan occupy the third and fourth spots, respectively, and will face each other in their next fixture. The Cranes are making their third consecutive attempt to qualify for the AFCON, having last participated in 2019 in Egypt under French coach Sébastien Desabre.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the final tournament, which will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026
