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Uganda Cranes captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango said that his team have made qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) difficult for themselves after a goalless draw with Tanzania in a Group L qualifier on Saturday. Onyango rued the Cranes' ability to take their opportunities at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, but stressed the difficulty of the derby which was enforced by the Taifa Stars' Belgium based captain Mbwana Samatta. "We had our chances to score but we did not take them. But remember this was an East African derby which made it very hard," he told KweséESPN. "I think we played our best, we gave our all, unfortunately we did not get the result we wanted. We played a team that was quick and their captain Samatta lifted them well." added Onyango. Despite not getting the three points, Onyango insisted that he and his team still aspire to qualify for AFCON 2019. "We have made it difficult for ourselves. We had hoped to collect three points against Tanzania and later Lesotho to make things easier. But our ambition remains high with a mission to go back to the Africa Cup of Nations." said Onyango. Head coach Sébastien Desabre said that while he was frustrated with the result, Uganda will learn from the draw. "I am disappointed with the result because we failed to win at home. My team played well in the first 25 minutes in first half and then resorted to long balls which I don't like and became generous to the Tanzania team," Desabre told KweséESPN. "Going forward from a tactical perspective we need to learn how to manage the game well because I think we gave Tanzania chance to attack us a lot in the last 15 minutes. "We continue to work hard because the target is to get 10 points to be assured of qualifying." said Desabre. Uganda Cranes lead Group L with four points, while Tanzania are second with two points. If Lesotho beat Cape Verde on Sunday, the Southern Africans will top the group.
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