Uganda’s Crested Cranes produced a spirited comeback to defeat Zambia 2-1 within the first leg of the second spherical of the 2028 CAF Girls’s Olympic qualifiers at Nakivubo Stadium on Thursday.
The guests made the proper begin when Prisca Chilufya put Zambia forward simply six minutes into the competition, however Uganda refused to panic and regularly took management of the sport.
Agnes Nabukenya restored parity earlier than Sylvia Kabene accomplished the comeback early within the second half, giving the Crested Cranes a slender benefit to take into the return leg.
Zambia’s opener got here after captain Barbara Banda created the opening from the precise. Banda did the arduous work earlier than selecting out Chilufya on the far publish, with the ahead making no mistake from shut vary.
Uganda responded strongly and started creating openings of their very own. Kabene got here near an equaliser however couldn’t management the ball, whereas Nabukenya went even nearer within the twenty second minute when she raced by means of on purpose and beat goalkeeper Hazel Nali, solely to see her effort rebound off the upright.
The strain finally paid off three minutes after the half-hour mark. Nabukenya stepped as much as a free kick simply outdoors the field and unleashed a strong strike that gave Nali no likelihood, bringing Uganda degree.
The Crested Cranes completed the opening half strongly and carried that momentum into the second interval.
Their persistence was rewarded within the 57th minute when Kabene headed Uganda into the lead.
Auki Kigogo shortly performed a nook to Zaina Nandede, who delivered a wonderfully weighted cross into the hazard space. Kabene rose to fulfill it and despatched the ball house to finish Uganda’s turnaround.
The Crested Cranes held on for the rest of the competition to safe an necessary house victory and take a 2-1 benefit to Zambia.
The return leg will probably be performed subsequent Tuesday at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, the place Uganda will look to complete the job and advance to the third qualifying spherical.
The winner on mixture will face both Mauritius or Ghana within the subsequent spherical, holding Uganda’s hopes of reaching the 2028 Olympic Video games alive.
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