Uganda's CHAN 2024 journey ends as Senegal keep title defense alive

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 2024 AFRICAN NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP 

 SATURDAY (AUGUST 23) QUARTERFINAL RESULT 
🇺🇬 Uganda 0-1 Senegal 🇸🇳
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The historic journey of co-hosts Uganda at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 came to an end on Saturday, as they were knocked out by reigning champions Senegal in Kampala to set up a king-of-the-jungle semi-final battle between the Lions of Teranga and the Atlas Lions of Morocco.

The Cranes' heartbreaking conclusion to their campaign inside a filled Mandela National Stadium in Uganda's capital means all the three co-hosts are out, following the exit of Kenya and Tanzania on Friday. Harambee Stars were eliminated by Madagascar via penalties in Nairobi while Taifa Stars' first defeat at this competition — 0-1 against Morocco in Dar es Salaam — saw them out of the door.

At this eighth CHAN edition of notable firsts, where all the three co-hosts qualified for the knockout stage as leaders of their respective groups, there was confidence that Uganda's candle would continue to illuminate local and regional hopes. But head coach Morley Bwekwaso's side failed to soar above Senegal, who themselves took another vital step towards retaining the title they won in Algeria.

As this competition of exclusively home-based players carries on, Senegal will next have to negotiate past another huge obstacle in the form of a seasoned winner. Morocco, who have hosted this tournament before (in 2018), are the only side to win back-to-back CHAN titles.

Taking part as hosts seven years ago, they beat Libya 3-1 in extra time to qualify for the final and eventually win their first title. Then at the subsequent 2020 edition, the Atlas Lions thrashed Cameroon 4-0 in the semifinals, before defeating Mali 2-0 in the final to complete their title defence.

Meanwhile, the other semi-final will see Madagascar face off with Sudan, who knocked out Algeria 4-2 on penalties in the last quarter-final in Zanzibar City.

Lions down The Cranes

In front of a capacity crowd, The Cranes, ever inspired by the adventurous Allan Okello, started strong against the Lions of Teranga, bossing the possession in the opening quarter of the game.

Despite the early dominance though, Senegal keeper Marc Diouf remained largely untroubled.

Diouf's opposite, Joel Mutakubwa, appeared to have been the busier in goal. As early as the second minute of the opening half, the Ugandan goalkeeper was forced into a flying save after Libasse Gueye, taking on a back-peddling Herbert Achayi, delivered a fierce left-footed goal-bound shot that required Mutakubwa's glove to tip it out.

The Ugandans, triggered by such early warning flashes, steadied themselves and settled into the game. Half-way into the first half, the Senegal fortress made a mess of what should have been a comfortable clearance at the back. The industrious Reagan Mpande raced on to the freakish bounced ball inside the danger zone, but Lions' masked skipper Baye Assane Ciss slid in just in time to tidy up the error.

On that very left flank, Daouda Ba equalled the beastly vim of the spritely Mpande to quieten the Ugandan forward. On the opposite wing, Jude Ssemugabi's dashing runs into Senegal's final third required constant surveillance from his minders. But as the game wore on, the Ugandan forward once managed to beat his marker and forced his way deep inside Senegalese territory, only for his threaded pass to be swiftly intercepted.

Meanwhile, Abdu Karim Watambala tested Diouf with a powerful, low long-range effort after nifty passage of play by the Ugandans. And on the other, Ciss, wearing a black protective mask, rose highest from a corner delivery to head goalwards, but Mutakubwa was equal to the task.

In a physical encounter, Achayi was the first player to go in Egyptian referee Mahmoud Ahmed Nagy Mosa's book for downing Libasse Gueye during a Senegal attack.

A minute before the break, Ssemugabi's game came to a painfully premature end as he was stretchered off after his poor landing from an aerial battle for the ball got him injured. His replacement, Ivan Ahimbisibwe — one of Uganda's six goalscorers at this edition.

The Teranga Lions made late first-half appeals for a penalty after Christian Gomis went down inside the area under heavy pressure from Arnold Odong. But a VAR check found nothing of note there to wrap up the opening half proceedings in a goalless affair.

Byekwaso's men turned on the afterburners after the restart and that early momentum nearly paid off when Mpande's characteristically wide run and low cross into the area forced Seyni Mbaye Ndiaye to nearly whack the ball into his own goal.

Not long after, Layousse Samb received passionate high-fives from his teammates after making a timely clearance to cut off a Cranes counterattack.

Then in the 62nd minute, the stadium went silent as the defending champions found the breakthrough. Down their busier left flank, the Senegalese burst forward, with Libasse Gueye — the driving force — squaring the ball powerfully across the goal mouth for the unmarked Oumar Ba to beat Mutakubwa with a low, fierce strike.

Uganda came close to finding the equalizer late on, but Odong's effort lacked the desired precision after the ball slipped through Diouf's gloves. The Cranes huffed and puffed under a Kampala drizzle, but any lingering hopes of reproducing that dramatic group-stage comeback against South Africa last Monday were snuffed out by the referee's final whistle.

Uganda bow out of the tournament with plenty of positives.  They have scored a record eight goals, the most at any CHAN edition, and conceded six.

Okello netted three goals while Mpande, Ahimbisibwe, Joel Sserunjogi, Ssemugabi and Rogers Torach each scored a goal.

How Senegal reached the semis

Senegal have kept their title defence hopes alive to become only the second defending champions, after their next opponents Morocco, to make it past the quarterfinal stage. It will now be a battle of the lions in Tuesday's (August 26) semifinal in Kampala.

Senegal began their title defence with a 1-0 win over Nigeria, thanks to Christian Gomis' 75th-minute strike.

A week later, the Lions of Teranga were held 1-1 by Congo. Trailing for the majority of the game, Senegal were rescued by Joseph Layousse eight minutes before time to boost their qualification hopes.

Senegal finished second and advanced to the knockout stage after their final group duel with Sudan ended goalless.

They then flew from Zanzibar to Kampala to face the last remaining co-hosts standing, Uganda, in the quarterfinals. Ba produced the goods, as his seond-half goal took them to the last-four, at the expense of The Cranes.