Uganda Cranes survive Bafana Bafana scare to keep CHAN dream alive
By Luke Oluoch, August 18, 2025Uganda Cranes have survived a scare to book their place in the African Nations Championship quarterfinal stage as Group C winners following a dramatic 3-3 draw against South Africa at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Monday, August 18, 2025.
Cranes rode on a Rogers Torach penalty deep in added time to level the scores at 3-3 and move above the group at the expense of Bafana Bafana, who ended up finishing third.
Algeria finished as the group’s runners-up following a 0-0 draw against Niger in another Group C tie played in Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium.
The Algerians edged the Bafana Bafana on goal difference, having scored two more goals in their group engagements than their COSAFA rivals.
The draw saw the Cranes secure their place in the knockout stage, joining fellow cohosts Kenya and Tanzania in replicating the feat of finishing as group winners.
Uganda takes the lead
Eager to replicate the qualification feat done by their fellow co-hosts, Morley Byekwaso’s team kicked off in dream fashion with a 30th-minute lead.
The breakthrough came from Jude Semugabi, who swept home from a low cross for the hosts’ opener following a brilliantly executed counterattack.
Despite taking a one-goal advantage to the halftime breather, South Africa got their way into the tie seven minutes after the restart.
Ramahlwe Mphahlele restored parity in the 52nd minute after custodian Joel Mutakubwa failed to cling to a corner.
The goal ushered in a surreal six minutes in the contested tie as the visitors stunned the capacity-filled Namboole by doubling the lead later through Thabiso Kutumela.
South Africa pulls clear
The tie seemed done and dusted with seven minutes on the clock after Philip Ndlondlo registered the third goal with seven minutes left on the clock.
Cranes rise from the dead
However, the Cranes rose from the dead in a remarkable comeback sparked by dangerman and mercurial skipper Allan Okello four minutes later.
The left-footed penalty, his second in the competition, saw the hosts halve the deficit as fans in Namboole dared to dream again, albeit against a ticking clock.
The fight back was completed in a dramatic fashion deep in the six minutes of added time after the referee awarded the Cranes a second penalty.
With Okello withdrawn, Torach stepped up to dispatch what was arguably the most significant stroke of the ball for the Cranes in the ongoing continental games.