Uganda’s long-awaited FIFA U-17 World Cup debut ended in heartbreak on Wednesday night in Doha as the Cubs fell 2-1 to Canada after a dramatic late collapse.
Yet amid the pain, 16 year old James Bogere stood tall, the young forward who made history by scoring Uganda’s first-ever goal at the tournament.
In the 25th minute, Bogere timed his run perfectly to meet a clever pass from Brain Jjara and calmly slotted past the Canadian goalkeeper. For a moment, it felt like a dream debut was unfolding.
But football can be cruel. With just two minutes left, Elijah Rocho equalized for Canada, and deep into stoppage time, Marius Aiyenero converted a penalty to seal a stunning comeback.
When the final whistle blew, the Ugandan bench was still, the pain of a lost lead written on every face.
After the game, Bogere spoke with quiet maturity.
“It could have been better if we won,” he said.
“Yes, I scored, but what matters most is winning. Sometimes football is funny, you’re in front, you relax, and it gives the other team a chance. They came back, and we were down.”
Despite the loss, Bogere praised his teammates for their spirit and first-half performance.
“We played very well in the first half. The plan was to keep attacking and score more, but it didn’t work out in the end.”
He also expressed gratitude to the Ugandan fans who showed up in Doha.
“It felt like we were playing at home. I didn’t expect fans to come, but seeing them made me happy. I just want to tell them,next game, we’ll come back stronger.”
Looking ahead to their next Group K match against Chile on Saturday, November 8, Bogere was clear about what needs to change.
“We had many chances, we just need to take them and make them count.”
