RESULTS:
Congo Brazzaville 2 Uganda Hippos 2
Central African Republic 0 South Sudan 1
Uganda’s U-20 football team, the Hippos, squandered a half-time lead to draw 2-2 with Congo Brazzaville on Thursday, February 23 at the ongoing Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (U-20 AFCON) tournament in Egypt.
The result means the Hippos will fight for the quarterfinal slot in their final group match against South Sudan on Sunday, February 26.
The Hippos, who beat the Central African Republic (CAR) 2-1 in their opening game on February 20, could have sealed the last-eight slot if they had beaten 10-man Congo Brazzaville side but they defended poorly as they conceded an equalizer in the second half.
Titus Ssematimba and Saidi Mayanja scored the goals for the Hippos in the match played at the Suez Canal stadium in Ismailia.
Going into Sunday’s final group games, the Hippos have four points from two games and are joint leaders with Congo Brazzaville. South Sudan are third on three points following their 1-0 victory over CAR on Thursday.
Pooled in Group C with Congo, South Sudan and CAR, the Hippos could guarantee their place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup if they reach the semifinal stage at the African tournament.
All teams that reach the semifinal stage automatically qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The Hippos were losing finalists at the last edition of the U-20 AFCON Finals in Mauritania. They lost 0-2 to Ghana’s Black Starlets in the final.
