10 Oct 2025

The senior national football Team, the Zebras, has suffered a 1-0 loss against The Cranes of Uganda in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in an encounter played at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium on October 9. 

Though the Zebras started well in the first half, the Ugandan side showed a strong desire to win as they kept pushing forward and attacking.

Although the Zebras were already out of the qualifiers, they put in hard work, defending well to ensure that the first half ended 0-0.

As the second half began, Uganda continued with their fighting spirit, with their strikers putting more pressure on the local lads.

In the 54th minute, Uganda's Ssemugabi Jude opened the scoring line by a free header from a corner kick that tricked the Zebras' defense.

As the game progressed, both teams increased the pace and raised the tempo of the match.

They attacked and created chances but failed to convert. Around the 80th minute, Mothusi Johnson made a crucial save after Uganda fired a shot on target when the Zebras' goalkeeper was not in position.

The game ended 1-0 as Uganda collected maximum points, remaining in second place with 18 points. As for the Zebras, they remain in fifth place with nine points and one game to play. They will face Guinea in their last game.

Meanwhile, during a post-match press conference, Coach Morena Ramoreboli said it was a disappointing game as they came with a plan that unfortunately did not work. He stated that although they created chances, they did not manage to convert them.

He said they played an experience team but they did their best.

Uganda's coach, Paul Joseph expressed happiness with the result, especially since he anticipated it would be a tough game but instead, they achieved positive results and maximum points. ENDS