African Nations Championship
Result: Uganda 2-1 Burkina Faso
Date: 12 January 2013
Venue: Athlone Stadium
A brace from Yunus Sentamu sent Uganda to the top of their CAF African Nations Championship group after they beat Burkina Faso 2-1 at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday.
After Zimbabwe and Morocco played to a goalless draw earlier in the day, the three points for Uganda sees them go to the top of Group B.
Uganda certainly started the brighter of the two teams and saw the majority of the ball early on.
Burkina Faso, on the other hand, struggled to keep hold of the ball when in possession, often gifting it back to Uganda due to some sloppy passing.
Uganda were on the attack from the first whistle and created a chance on goal as early as the third minute when Denis Iguma let loose with a powerful long range shot, but he saw his effort well-saved by Mohamed Kabore.
Isaac Mulema was the next to try his luck for the Ugandans in the seventh minute, but he saw his effort also parried away from goal.
In the 15th minute Uganda made their early pressure tell as Sentamu made the most of a defensive error by Burkina Faso and rounded the keeper before calmly slotting home, 1-0.
Burkina Faso, who had largely been second best up to that point, began to come alive and started fighting hard for the ball in the middle of the park.
This resulted in Burkina Faso seeing more of the ball and their first chance on goal came in the 32nd minute as Bassirou Ouedraogofired a shot on goal, but he saw his effort brilliantly saved by Benjamin Ochan.
Iguma, though, should really have doubled his side’s lead ten minutes later when a pass from Hassan Wasswa Mawanda put him through on goal, but he fired his shot straight at the keeper with the goal at his mercy.
The start of the second 45 saw Burkina Faso chasing the game and they should probably have levelled matters in the 59th minute when Aboubacar Traore found himself unmarked inside the box, but he fired agonisingly wide of the target.
Sentamu, though, put the result beyond doubt in the73rd minute when he grabbed his side’s second goal after expertly turning home a Traore cross, 2-0.
Burkina Faso did manage a consolation goal in the 88th minute as substitute Cyrille Bayala bundled the ball home from a corner-kick, 2-1, but it was too little too late.
Uganda goes to the top of Group B with the result while Burkina Faso props up the bottom of the group.
