Uganda Cranes secured a vital 1-0 home victory over Guinea in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Tuesday at Mandela National Stadium, with head coach Paul Put commending the team’s resilience and tactical discipline.
Allan Okello’s sublime freekick in the 37th minute made the difference, earning Uganda three crucial points and providing the perfect response to their 3-1 loss against Mozambique last week.
Put expressed satisfaction with his players' performance, emphasizing that the victory was well-deserved.
“First of all, it’s a deserved win; I think we played a very good game,” he remarked. “I saw a very good team today, fighting but also playing excellent football. We had chances in the first half and combined well. I was very proud tonight.”
The Cranes had come under scrutiny after their defeat to Mozambique but Put defended his side, stressing that playing with ten men for over 50 minutes following Denis Omedi’s red card had made things difficult.
“I don’t agree that we didn’t perform well in Mozambique,” he stated. “Playing with 10 men from the 36th minute was a big challenge. If you look at the statistics, they had 53% possession, and we had 47% despite being a man down. The chances were equal at 3-3, so I don’t think we played badly.”
Tuesday’s victory lifted Uganda to fourth place in Group G with nine points, marking a crucial recovery from the setback in Egypt.
“But today was different,” Put added. “We played with eleven players, we were at home, and the boys have been sharp in training. The trip to Egypt wasn’t easy and during Ramadan, players need adequate rest which was another challenge.”
The Belgian also addressed his decision to start Travis Mutyaba against Guinea despite not featuring him in the Mozambique game.
“If I receive players in training, I can assess who has been playing consistently at their clubs,” he explained.
“With Travis, there’s an issue at Bordeaux, he hasn’t been getting enough minutes. Before joining camp, he played for the second team and has mostly been limited to six, nine, or ten minutes per match. He’s a talented player, but it’s tough to start someone who hasn’t had competitive action for two full games.”
However, Put believed Mutyaba could contribute in a specific way against Guinea.
“I know Guinea quite well, and I felt he could help while adding something to our game. But it wasn’t just about Travis, everyone on the pitch played their part.”
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