Uganda Cranes fans were full of praise and excitement following the national team’s 2-0 victory over Congo in the AFCON 2025 Qualifiers at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, on Monday, September 9.
The win propelled Uganda to the top of Group K, much to the delight of the supporters who had long anticipated seeing their team thrive.
Goals from Aziz Kayondo and Jude Ssemugabi secured the crucial win, which left fans impressed not only with the result but with the style of play under coach Paul Put, and the state of Namboole stadium.
The Cranes now sit on four points after two games, ahead of Congo, South Africa and South Sudan, the latter two having played a game less, and facing off today.
“Uganda Cranes now play very beautiful football. It’s nice to watch and gives us fans a reason to come support them,” remarked one fan after the game.
This sentiment was echoed by another fan, who emphasized the tactical improvements seen on the field.
“I feel so proud watching this team. We are now very good at attacking, and today, we learned from our mistakes in the South Africa game, where we didn’t defend well. Today we were solid defensively,” he said before adding;
“Our previous manager always preferred to defend throughout the entire game, but the current one is attack-minded. I’m so happy; I used to dream of days like these!”
The fans also credited coach Paul Put for his timely substitutions, particularly bringing on Jude Ssemugabi, who went on to score Uganda’s second goal.
“Our coach not only plays beautiful football but is also good at reading the game. He made the right call in substituting Shaban for Ssemugabi,” noted one Adam from Kireka.
The victory over Congo marks Paul Put’s second win in four competitive matches since taking charge of the Uganda Cranes, with his previous triumph coming against Botswana.
In addition to these victories, the Cranes have secured a draw against South Africa and suffered a narrow defeat to Algeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.
Notably, Uganda has found the back of the net in each of these encounters, scoring a total of six goals across the four games.
Beyond the match, the fans were equally thrilled with the newly renovated Namboole Stadium, with many expressing pride in seeing the national team back at their historic home ground.
“Our stadium is very good,” remarked Lilian Kobusingye before adding, “It is my first time to come here, and I’m impressed with the developments and atmosphere. I can’t wait to come back again to the next Cranes game.”
Another fan remarked: “Namboole was always our fortress. We would always get positive results from here. Having the Cranes play here again gives us a home advantage.”
With the victory against Congo, Uganda Cranes are now set to host South Sudan on October 11 at Namboole before travelling to Juba for the return leg on October 15.
