Flames date Uganda in Cecafa quarter-finals
The battle lines have been drawn and the Flames will face Uganda’s Cranes tomorrow in the quarter-finals of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup match in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Uganda emerged group B winners on Saturday after edging Burundi 1-0 to seal their last eight qualification.
The Flames suffered a shock 0-2 defeat at the hands of South Sudan on Friday, but by then, they had already secured qualification into the quarter-finals after wins over Sudan (2-1) and Djibouti (3-0).
The Flames finished second in group C with six points, a point short of South Sudan.
Flames coach Ernest Mtawali said they will prepare thoroughly for the Cranes.
“We have to face strong teams such as Uganda for us to get a real test of our pedigree. Of course, the talk is that if we had finished top of group C, we could have faced weaker opposition.
“But this fixture provides us with a stern challenge to prove that we are coming of age. So, there is no cause for worry,” said Mtawali from Bahir Dar.
Mtawali made several changes to the team which won the first two games, but stressed that he had no regrets.
“We had already qualified and mind you, apart from competing, we are here to expose some new players that are coming through,” said Mtawali.
Francis Kalanda scored the winner for Uganda against Burundi in the 70th minute.
Hosts Ethiopia needed a late goal to draw 1-1 against Tanzania to qualify for the quarter-finals as one of the best-third teams.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars also qualified as runners-up in group B despite their 1-3 defeat at the hands of Zanzibar last Friday.
Sudan also qualified as one of the best third-placed teams following their 4-0 win over Djibouti on Saturday.
The Flames versus Uganda tie will be the first quarter-final tie this afternoon and up next will be Tanzania and Ethiopia.
On Tuesday, South Sudan will face Sudan in the third quarter-final match before Rwanda take on Kenya. n
