Uganda have advanced to the final of the CAF African Schools Football Championship, Ug in the boys category after edging Benin 4-3 in a tense penalty shootout.
The penalty shootout followed a goalless draw in the semi-final played in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Represented by St Mary’s Boarding Secondary School, Kitende, Uganda held their nerve from the spot to seal an appearance in the boys’ final and keep alive hopes of continental glory.
The tightly contested semi-final saw both sides fail to break the deadlock in normal time, forcing the match straight to penalties where the Ugandan youngsters prevailed to spark celebrations in camp.
Uganda will now face Senegal in Friday’s final after the West Africans thrashed Morocco 4-0 in the other semi-final.
The result extends Uganda’s impressive unbeaten run in the tournament, having earlier topped their group with seven points from three matches.
Kitende began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against hosts Zimbabwe before producing a ruthless 6-0 demolition of DR Congo, with Owen Mukisa netting a hat-trick while Musa Kironde, Ivan Kakinda and Emmanuel Opio also got on the scoresheet.
They then sealed progression to the knockout stage in emphatic fashion with a commanding 3-0 victory over Morocco in their final group match.
Lucky Wanyama struck twice inside the opening 11 minutes in that contest before Mukisa added a third in the 28th minute to send Uganda into the semi-finals as group winners.
Uganda now stand one match away from lifting the continental schools title and securing the top development prize of Shs1.106 billion, awarded to the tournament winners for school development projects.
The runners-up will receive Shs737.6 million, while the third-placed side will take home Shs553.2 million.
Launched in 2022 by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, the CAF African Schools Football Championship has rapidly grown into the continent’s premier schools football competition, aimed at nurturing young talent and investing in grassroots development.
With momentum firmly on their side, Uganda will be hoping to cap their remarkable campaign with victory over Senegal in Friday’s final.
