Uganda Cranes ended the international break on a positive note after drawing 1-1 with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The international window in four results
- AFCON 2027 qualifier: Tunisia 1-1 Uganda
- AFCON 2027 qualifier: Uganda 1-0 Libya
- Friendly: DR Congo 0-2 Uganda
- Friendly: DR Congo 1-1 Uganda
Overall: two wins, two draws, no defeats.
Bogere rescues a draw
Nathanael Mbuku gave the Leopards the lead before James Bogere came off the bench to level the score and earn Uganda a draw.
The result followed Uganda's 2-0 victory over DR Congo in the first friendly at FNB Stadium on Friday, when Kelvin Owusu Boateng and James Bogere scored either side of half-time.
The two results gave Uganda an unbeaten record against DR Congo during the international break and provided coach Paul Put with another opportunity to assess new players.
Debutants make their mark
The Cranes had earlier beaten Libya 1-0 in their AFCON 2027 qualifier in Hoima, with new forward Arnold Vula scoring the only goal of the game.
Vula, who made his Uganda debut in the match, headed home Allan Okello's free-kick in first-half stoppage time to give the Cranes three points.
Boateng also made an immediate impact after coming on against Libya before scoring in the 2-0 victory over DR Congo three days later.
Put had entered the break looking beyond the players who featured in Uganda's opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Tunisia and Libya.
The coach used the matches to test different combinations while maintaining a strong defensive structure.
Uganda have now conceded only once in their last three matches, following a 1-1 draw away to Tunisia, a 1-0 win over Libya and the 2-0 victory against DR Congo.
The new faces
Several new players were introduced during the two friendly matches as Put continued to assess his options.
Among the new faces brought into the squad were Kingdom Osayi, Kelvin Owusu Boateng, Arnold Vula, Souleyman Diaby, Dieudonne Gaucho Debohi, Akpan David Udoh, Abdoulaye Sissako, Noble Okello and Nathan Asiimwe.
Asiimwe, who plays for Charlton Athletic, started against Libya and impressed with his movement, width and ability to help Uganda build attacks.
Okello also started against Libya, providing discipline in midfield alongside Baba Alhassan before being substituted late in the game.
Sissako, Debohi and Diaby also helped strengthen the defensive unit as Uganda kept clean sheets against Libya and DR Congo.
The case for heritage players
The emergence of the new players has also strengthened the argument for Uganda to continue identifying eligible players with Ugandan heritage playing abroad.
Several African countries have used players from their diaspora to strengthen their national teams, giving Uganda another pool of players to consider as the Cranes seek to compete at the highest level.
For Put, however, the bigger task is to find players who can consistently challenge for places in the competitive squad.
The international break has therefore given the coach more options ahead of Uganda's next AFCON 2027 qualifying assignments, while also showing that the Cranes have depth beyond their established players.
