Uganda Cranes Head Coach Sebastien Desabre has revealed that he was not surprised by his side’s performance during their opening game of the 2019 African Cup of nations (AFCON), Group A clash against DR Congo.
Goals either side of the half time break by forwards Patrick Kaddu and Emanuel Okwi were all but enough as the Cranes defeated the Leopards of Congo 2-0 to record their first ever win in 41 years at African football’s high table.
The Cranes last win was against Nigeria in the 1978 tournament in Ghana before they were defeated in the finals by winners Ghana.
“Our qualifying campaign was very good and we had great performances so it’s not a surprise. Well, we did nothing exceptional,” Desabre told the media.
However, Desabre went on to caution his players not to get carried away with their latest milestone, calling for calmness as they take on the other remaining fixtures in Group A.
“We just won our first match; we have to win more to be able to progress. Our objective is to qualify from the Group stage,” he added.
“We know that we need a minimum of four points to reach the next round. We only have three points now and the players know that,” he noted.
The Cranes will play Zimbabwe next on Wednesday, June 26 before they complete the group stages against Egypt three days later.
“We have to work harder because there are two big games ahead, Zimbabwe and Egypt. We have our plans. To claim a point against Zimbabwe and against Egypt won’t be easy because the opponents are not easy sides”
Cranes are now on the top of Group A with three points, ahead of hosts Egypt who defeated Zimbabwe by a solitary goal on Friday night.
