Uganda cruised into the AFCON U17 CECAFA Zone Qualifiers final with a commanding 4-1 victory over Somalia on Tuesday 24 December 2024 with James Bogere grabbing a hattrick.
The opening half saw a cagey battle between the two teams, with neither able to find a breakthrough in the first 30 minutes. However, Uganda’s Abubakali Walusimbi struck just before halftime to give his side a 1-0 lead at the break.
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Uganda doubled their advantage in the 55th minute when James Bogere netted his first goal of the match. Somalia responded with a moment of brilliance from Ibrahim Osman in the 67th minute, narrowing the deficit to 2-1.
Bogere, however, restored Uganda’s two-goal cushion with a well-taken strike in the 90+2’ minute before completing his hat-trick just two minutes later in stoppage time to seal a 4-1 win. This marked his second hat-trick of the tournament, having previously achieved the feat against Kenya in the group stage.
Bogere’s remarkable performance takes his tally to six goals, putting him at the top of the tournament’s scoring chart and solidifying his reputation as one of the competition’s standout players.
Uganda now advances to the final, where they will face Tanzania, who beat South Sudan, in a showdown to determine the CECAFA Zone champions. Both teams have already secured their spots in next year’s AFCON U17 tournament in Morocco, but the final promises to be a thrilling contest for regional supremacy.
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