No victor, no vanquished as Tanzania, Uganda draw 1-1
Tanzania were cruelly denied a historic first win at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Uganda salvaged a late 1-1 draw to avoid a third successive defeat for the first time since November 2023.
Perhaps psychologically buoyed by their strong record in previous encounters, Uganda were the better team in the first half, with Allan Okello coming close when his strike was parried away by Zuberi Foba.
The goalkeeper could not reach Rogers Mato’s header, but unfortunately for the Cranes, the ball cannoned back off the crossbar.
Tanzania rarely threatened and failed to register a shot on target before the break, with Feisal Salum, Novatus Miroshi, and Kelvin John all off target with their respective efforts.
The Taifa Stars improved after the interval, as Simon Msuva’s shot deflected just wide, before they won a penalty when Baba Alhassan handled Alphonce Msanga’s strike.
Msuva stepped up and wrong-footed Denis Onyango to find the roof of the net. This was a positive moment for Tanzania, who had been unbeaten in each of their previous 13 goalscoring internationals.
But their work was far from over, and as Uganda pushed for an equaliser in the latter stages, they finally found one when Denis Omedi’s cross found fellow substitute Uche Ikpeazu, who produced a diving header to salvage a potentially crucial point.
The Cranes then had a golden chance to steal the points in stoppage time, but Okello blazed a penalty over the bar in dramatic fashion. Both teams remain alive in Group C as a result, but Tanzania’s winless run now stretches to nine matches, while Uganda will reflect on what might have been.
