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Uganda took the lead late in the first half after a brilliant team move finished off by John Paul Dembe, and despite failing to make their advantage stick, Mayanja believes it is the kind of performance that makes opponents take note.
Uganda U20 head coach Jackson Mayanja has praised his players’ focus and drive following their promising performance in their build up friendly against Egypt.
The Uganda Hippos impressed in a 1-1 draw in their first build up game at the Military Academy Olympic Stadium, Cairo ahead of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday.
Uganda took the lead late in the first half after a brilliant team move finished off by John Paul Dembe, and despite failing to make their advantage stick, Mayanja believes it is the kind of performance that makes opponents take note.
“I am happy with the boys especially our first goal which was a brilliant move from start to finish,” Mayanja said after the game.
“That is the confidence I want to see throughout the team. I enjoy watching my teams play, I want us to play good football and press because I want to watch a good game.”
“It is unfortunate that they did not take the victory, but we take lots of positives which point to the fact that we shall be okay when the tournament starts.
“I thought they did all the things I expected from them. They played with a mentality to make a good impression and am sure some people have already taken note.
The Hippos looked the brighter side in the early stages of the game with John Paul Dembe and Travis Mutyaba both coming close to scoring before they took the lead.
However, the lead was short-lived with Egypt finding the equaliser at the stroke of halftime, with defender Apollo Kagogwe unlucky to direct the ball into his own goal.
The start of second half saw coach Jackson Mayanja introduce Rogers Mugisha, Justin Opiro and Issa Bugembe for Dembe, Lukwago and Ssematimba in that order.
Four minutes after the hour mark, Hippos made another change with Umar Lutalo coming on for Saidi Mayanja with Hakim Mutebi and Patrick Kakande coming on for the final 10 minutes.
“I definitely wanted to win the game but it was important we saw as many players as we could. If you think about the players who came in, they were outstanding.”
The Hippos will relocate to Ismailia on Tuesday where they will play their matches in group B against Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville and South Sudan.
The tournament will take place between 19th to 11th March in Egypt.
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