The Algerian team did not stumble in Kampala. Against Uganda this Monday, June 10, she did the essential by dominating her opponent with a score of 2-1.
Algerian supporters can breathe a big sigh of relief after this difficult victory against a fast and well-organized Ugandan team.
However, it all started badly for the Greens on this green lawn at the Mandela Stadium in Kampala.
A first half to forget
With a classic 4-3-3, national coach Vladimir Petkovic corrected his mistake in the match against Guinea (1-2) Thursday June 6 in Algiers where he aligned four defenders, two midfielders and four attackers.
Against Uganda, he strengthened his Greens midfield by starting Ismaël Bennacer in place of Ramiz Zerrouki and Houssem Aouar in place of the injured Yacine Brahimi. In defense, Mohamed Amine Madani was preferred to Mohamed Tougai.
Despite these adjustments, the start of the match was catastrophic for the Greens who abused the old-fashioned long balls which brought joy to the Ugandan defenders.
Without a game plan, the Algerians were quick to concede the first goal in the 10the minute, following a monumental blunder by the defense. On a lost ball from Madani who struggled to find his feet, Mutyaba blasts Mandrea with a low left foot strike.
Uganda – Algeria: the Greens do the job in Kampala
Jostled, the Greens reacted a few minutes before the end of the first period when Saïd Benrahma’s shot from outside the area hit the post and returned to the arms of the lucky Ugandan goalkeeper. This action signals the revolt of the Greens.
In the second half, the Fennecs of Algeria return with another, more attractive face. Aggressive in the game, they quickly equalized by Houssem Aouar following collective work started by Youcef Atal (1-1, 46e).
Asphyxiated in midfield by the Greens, the Ugandans did not have time to react and it was Algeria who took the lead with a goal from Saïd Benrahma, following a counterattack led wonderfully by Amoura who eliminated several players, before serving as Lyonnais who hooked the Ugandan goalkeeper to give the advantage to the national team.
A few minutes, Bounedjah was on the verge of putting the Greens away, after a serve from Amoura, but his shot was captured by the Uganda goalkeeper.
The score remained there. Algeria overthrows Uganda and is back in the race to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Vladimir Petkovic can spend the summer quietly while waiting for the next matches next spring, but a huge amount of work awaits him to provide solutions to the problems of the national team’s defense.
After the victory in Kampala, Algeria remains in first place in Group G with 9 points, ahead of Botswana, Guinea, Mozambique and Uganda who each have six points. Somalia is in last place.
