Cranes complete semis cast
Hosts Uganda completed the list of four Cecafa Tusker semifinalists after beating Ethiopia 2-0 at Namboole on Tuesday to join Zanzibar, Tanzania and Kenya.
Geoffrey ‘Baba’ Kizito and Robert Ssentongo scored the goals in either half to make two each for the tournament.
The Uganda Cranes will now face Tanzania in the semifinals on Thursday while Kenya, who beat Malawi 1-0 earlier, take on Zanzibar.
The hosts dominated the entire match and the scoreline should have read better if Brian Umony, Hamis Kiiza and Ssentongo had buried half the chances created.
Emmanuel Okwi, on for the stretched-off Umony, made a late cameo and had more than four chances to open his mark in the tournament but squandered all of them.
Just like in the group game which Cranes won 1-0, Uganda were off the mark early.
A long ball from defender Henry Kalungi found Moses Oloya down the right, the midfielder drifting inside and beating two Ethiopian defenders before crossing low for Brian Umony.
Umony shot at goal but his effort deflected into Kizito’s path, the midfielder beating Ethiopian goalkeeper SamsonAsfaw Worku to his left for a fourth minute lead and his second for the tournament.
The Ethiopians managed to hold off a rampant but rather inefficient Cranes pressure to take the game to half time still only 1-0 down.
But it soon told, Ssentongo controlling a cross from the right with his right and turning to powerfully shoot with the left into the top corner for his second goal of the competition on 60 minutes.
Okwi and Kiiza should all have added to the scoreline late on but fell short. That mattered little though as Cranes confirmed their semifinal slot.
