Crested Cranes Prepare for 2nd Leg of AFCON Qualifiers

Uganda's national women’s team, the Crested Cranes will play Algeria in the return leg of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Crested Cranes find themselves in a challenging position after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the first leg held at the FUFA Technical Center in Njeru just a week ago. 

Algeria's Habiba Karchouni and Imane Chabel scored each early in the second half while Fauzia Najjemba pulled one back for Uganda in the closing stages. 

On Tuesday, the Crested Cranes must strive to overturn the odds that are stacked against them, especially as they face a spirited Algerian team with an enthusiastic home crowd expected to fill Stade Olympic D’oran and support their side. 

To progress to the next stage of the qualifiers, Uganda needs to secure a two-goal victory over Algeria, a formidable task for the Ugandan squad. But, the team's coach, Ayubu Khalifa, remains undisturbed by the challenge, saying that he has spent the past week preparing his team for a resolute offensive strategy. 

Khalifa said that he and his technical staff have analyzed the weaknesses of the Algerian team and are looking to exploit those weaknesses to secure a win for their side. 

//Cue in: I can say we …  

Cue out: …tomorrow’s game”// 

The winner of the aggregate score between Uganda and Algeria will advance to the final qualification round and will face either Burundi or Ethiopia. 

The Crested Cranes are pushing to return to the continental showpiece for the third time after they participated in the previous edition where they were making a return after spending twenty years without participating in the prestigious tournament while their opponents Algeria never qualified.

During the final tournament (AFCON), Uganda was placed in Group A with Morocco, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, the Crested Cranes could only secure one point, finishing at the bottom of the group after one draw and two losses.