Uganda Cubs’ U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 campaign got off to a devastating start with a 5-0 defeat to hosts Morocco at Stade El Bachir in Mohammedia.
The young Cranes were outclassed from the opening whistle, as Morocco’s Lion Cubs stamped their authority as one of the tournament’s top contenders.
Despite the heavy loss, Uganda’s head coach Brian Ssenyondo, remained composed in his post-match interview, acknowledging Morocco’s superiority while drawing confidence from his team’s improved second-half performance.
Speaking after the match, Ssenyondo admitted that the result was not what Uganda had prepared for but emphasized that the team had learned valuable lessons.
“Morocco deserved to win. It is not the result we wanted, of course. We prepared very well to try and match them today, but they are a very good team, and they showed that,” he stated.
The damage was done early, with Morocco racing to a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes. According to Ssenyondo, this early setback made it difficult for his young side to recover.
“They wanted to kill the game early, and they did it very well. When a quality team like Morocco goes two up that early, you have to limit mistakes because every error will be punished,” he explained.
Despite the humbling defeat, Ssenyondo took solace in Uganda’s second-half performance, where the team showed more fight and resilience.
“The second half performance, we go with that into the next game. The boys showed more passion, more character, and they fought for everything on the pitch. That’s the attitude we need moving forward.”
The Cranes now shift focus to Tanzania, a game that Ssenyondo believes will be highly competitive given the regional rivalry between the two sides.
“We have two games to go in the group stages, but we can’t look at the last one before we finish with Tanzania. It will be a very tough game because we are harsh rivals.”
While the loss to Morocco was a harsh reality check, Ssenyondo believes that it will serve as an important learning experience for his squad.
“We have learned a lot of lessons, especially from the first half. Maybe it was nerves, many of the boys were playing their first game at this level. But we now know what to correct before the Tanzania game.”
Looking ahead, the coach remains optimistic that his team can bounce back and keep their AFCON and World Cup qualification hopes alive.
“We didn’t expect this result, but we have to move forward. Morocco is a footballing nation, but we are an aspiring nation too. We want to be the best on and off the pitch. Now, our full focus is on Tanzania.”
As The Cubs regroup, their fight for survival in the tournament continues with the Tanzania game on Tuesday, April 1st now carrying even greater significance.
