The Uganda U-17 men’s national team (Cubs) put up a spirited performance in their pre-tournament friendly against Burkina Faso U-17 on Sunday but fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat at the Ziaida Sports Complex training ground in Morocco.
In a game filled with energy, tactical battles and moments of brilliance, both teams used the match to assess their readiness ahead of the crucial 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations tournament. The Cubs started brightly, pressing high and showing confidence in possession but Burkina Faso proved resilient with their physicality and quick attacking transitions.
The West Africans took the lead in the 34th minute after Uganda conceded a penalty due to a defensive lapse. Issouf Bara stepped up and calmly slotted past the Ugandan goalkeeper. The Cubs responded well, maintaining their attacking intent, and were rewarded in the 45th minute when Ssozi Derick finished off a well-worked move to level the game just before halftime.
Uganda carried their momentum into the second half and took the lead in the 51st minute through Bogere James, whose well-placed finish sent the Ugandan bench into celebration. However, Burkina Faso fought back, equalizing in the 78th minute through Alassane Bagayoko before Mohamed Sacko sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory with a stoppage-time goal in the 90+2 minute.
Despite the result, Uganda Cubs head coach Brian Ssenyondo remained upbeat about his team’s display and overall progress.
“We dominated play, scored a goal in the last minutes of the first half and again in the early minutes of the second half. All goals we conceded were avoidable because they were individual players’ mistakes,” Ssenyondo stated. "We will improve on our game as we move on so that we attain our goal of World Cup qualification.”
The Cubs now shift their focus to their next friendly against Cameroon on March 26th as they continue fine tuning their preparations for the upcoming U-17 AFCON tournament.
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