Uganda basks in Cecafa Under-18 journey  glory

Uganda has overcome their Kenyan counterparts to win the Boys tournament held in Kenya.

In the finals played at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu, the Pearl of Africa beat the hosts 2-1 in a pulsating game which was also an East African derby.

Kenya took the lead on 66 minutes, thanks to Syphas Otieno Owuor who received a long ball from goalkeeper Ibrahim Wanzala that he perfectly controlled before shooting past the Ugandan goalkeeper.

However, 12 minutes later, Uganda returned the favour courtesy of a foul kick that found SC Villa midfielder Batiibwe Okello who easily beat the Kenyan goalkeeper to force the game into extra time.

In the extra time, Uganda only needed 50 seconds to see the back of the net, thanks to a Hakim Mutebi strike to make it 2-1 for the visitors.

Despite attempts to level matters by the Kenyans, the Ugandan team remained resolute and protected their lead until the final whistle that saw them crowned champions.

Speaking shortly after the game, the coach of the Ugandan team , Morley Byekwaso described Kenya as a tough opponent.

“The Kenyan team proved to be a formidable opponent. We faced challenges in securing a goal in the first half,” Byekwaso said.

He however said his team had earlier prepared well for the opponent.

Tanzania took bronze after beating Rwanda 3-1 in the third play-off game in Kisumu.

Uganda’s journey in this year’s tournament had a shaky start after losing one nil to Tanzania in their opening group B game.

The team would however recover on the second game by beating Zanzibar 2-1 but also beat South Sudan 2-0 in their third game to  finish the group as leaders and storm the semifinals.

 In the semifinals, Uganda saw off Rwanda in a one nil score that set the tone for the finals.