CHAN: Watambala, Sserunjogi reflect on Algeria loss, rally Uganda for crucial Guinea clash

Uganda Cranes midfielders Abdu Karim Watambala and Joel Sserunjogi have rallied their teammates to regroup and respond positively after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Algeria in their opening Group C match of the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole on Monday.

The Cranes were undone by a clinical Algerian side in front of their home fans, leaving them with no room for error as they prepare to face Guinea on Friday at the same venue in a must-win fixture. Guinea opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Niger.

Joel Sserunjogi, who played the full 90 minutes against the Desert Foxes, admitted the team fell short of their expectations but remains confident they will bounce back.

“The game didn’t go as we planned, we made some mistakes as the game was going on but we’ve worked on them. We want to win our next game and if we get the results, everything will be sorted. We picked a lot of positives against Algeria which will help us going forward,” Sserunjogi noted.

His midfield counterpart Abdu Karim Watambala, who replaced Jude Ssemugabi at the start of the second half, injected life into Uganda’s attack with energy and intent. Despite the result, Watambala is optimistic about turning things around.

“I have to drive the team in front and I think in the first half we lacked the force to go forward and creativity, so the coaches brought me on. When I got the opportunity, I was like, ‘Let me try to make something happen in the second half and push the team forward so that we can get a goal.’ Unfortunately, it didn’t happen but we are looking up to the next game to improve and avoid mistakes we did. Our target is to get out of the group and we believe we can achieve it,” he said.

The Cranes now sit bottom of Group C but know that a win against Guinea will reignite their qualification hopes going into the final group match against Niger. Coach Morley Byekwaso and his technical team are expected to fine-tune their approach as they chase a crucial three points on home soil.