Egypt hurt Cranes with 94th-minute winner

HOW unfair! How unjust!Just when Cranes’ thought their gusty defending had earned them a historic result against six-time Nations Cup winners Egypt, Pharaohs’ striker Mohammed Nagy, popularly known as Gedo, struck in the 94th minute to leave the Ugandan side heartbroken. 


Cranes will now need a win or draw against Tanzania tomorrow to guarantee a semi-final place. 

In the build-up to the Egypt fixture, coach Bobby Williamson had been coerced into opting for an unfamiliar defensive ploy; fielding extra defenders (Derrick Walulya and Habib Kavuma) in attacking positions to counter an Egyptian side that had obliterated CECAFA champions Tanzania in a 5-1 humiliating defeat. 

It was a strategy that almost paid off after Cranes had compressed the game, kept the tempo as calm as possible and in the process denied the likes of team captain Ahmed Hassan, Mohammed Aboutrika and Shikabala the opportunity of running at them. 

In fact, it took the instinctive presence of ‘super sub’ Gedo to unlock a cagey Cranes’ defence. 

Gedo, whose five goals helped Egypt to their sixth Nations Cup title in Angola last year, body-checked central defender Jimmy Mukubya, turned and swirled the ball past Cranes goalkeeper Hamza Muwonge. 

“I was disappointed with the result but not with the team performance. They worked for each other and did everything to try and get something out of the game. Unfortunately they didn’t but we will look to the game against Tanzania,” Williamson stated. 

In the Nations Cup finals in Luanda, Gedo, who won the Standard Bank Player Discovery of the Year prize, scored against Nigeria in the opening game of Group C, which gave the Pharaohs a 3-1 win over the Super Eagles; came on as substitute to score against Mozambique in a 2-0 victory and got his third goal in the 3-1 win over Cameroon in the quarter-finals. 

He scored his fourth goal against the Desert Foxes of Algeria in the semi-final, which Egypt won 4-0, before he wrapped up his tally against Black Stars of Ghana in the 1-0 victory in the final yesterday. 

For the umpteenth time, it had to be Gedo, especially after team danger-man Aboutrika had been contained by Cranes congested midfield and later substituted on 60 minutes. 

Cranes team media officer Fred Katende Malibu emphasised that the team was free of injury. 

Team ratings: H. Muwonge(8), S. Masaba(9), G. Walusimbi(8), E. Ssali(8), J. Mukubya(7), M. Kaweesa(8), D. Walulya(8), O. Kasule(8), P. Edema(7), N. Ssemakula (7), H. Kavuma(8)