The Sand Cranes returned home with no medals from the just concluded 2022 Beach Soccer African cup of Nations hosted by Vilankulo Arena, Mozambique.
Senegal were crowned the African Champions after defeating Egypt 6-5 on penalties in a tight final.
Uganda having finished in fourth place on their debut, a podium place was the target heading into the competition.
However, losing to finalists Senegal (10-1) and Egypt (6-2) in Group B didn’t help matters as Uganda failed to make the semifinals.
The Sand Cranes bettered Malawi 4-1 in a penalty shootout during a dramatic classification match which ended 6-6 in extra time to pocket a fifth finish.
Players; Paul Lule, Ashraf Opuuli, Ambrose Kigozi and Joshua Lubwama were the scorers of the four penalties while goal keeper Samson Kirya made the most saves to give Uganda a win.
This year’s Beach Soccer African Cup of Nations was played by seven countries after Nigeria pulled out days before the kick off.
The countries were Senegal, Eygpt, Morocco, Mozambique, Uganda, Malawi and Madagascar.
Senegal and Egypt being this year’s finalists automatically qualified for the 2022 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Courtesy photos
