Representatives of the Cecafa region, Uganda and South Sudan will take to the pitch for the first time at the African Cup of Nations U-20 tournament in Egypt on Monday evening.The tournament commenced on Sunday with two matches between Egypt and Mozambique that ended in a stalemate. The second match between Senegal and Nigeria saw the AFCON and CHAN holders bag a 1-0 win.##NAJAVA_MECA_7031465##Uganda vs. Central African RepublicOn Monday, Uganda will take on the Central African Republic at 5 p.m. This will be the first ever meeting between the two sides at the continental showpiece as they seek to start their group B campaign on a high.Ahead of the game, Coach Jackson Mayanja and captain Isma Mugulusi have set their eyes on reaching the semifinals, a feat that will see them qualify for the 2023 U20 World Cup in Indonesia.Uganda U20 National team (Hippos) first training session in Cairo at Jewel Sport City play ground on Sunday eveningThe Hippos will have a build up match vs Egypt U20 side (3:30pm EAT) on Monday at Military Academy Stadium, Cairo. #TotalEnergiesEgypt2023AFCONU20 pic.twitter.com/8CgNpClDCJ— FUFA (@OfficialFUFA) February 12, 2023 “Since my first day with this amazing team, the intention has been clear: to qualify the team for the World Cup, and everything must start against Central African Republic.” The tactician told the federation media.”We are happy and in a good mood as players. We are thinking about nothing but this tournament, and the first game against Central African Republic is very important to us if we are to achieve our mission of going to the World Cup.” Uganda Hippos captain Isma Mugulusi told FUFA website.🚨 RESULTS 🚨 2023 #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 opening day wrapped-up ✅Any surprises? 👀 pic.twitter.com/y47DSx0QzW— #TotalEnergiesAFCONU20 (@CAF_Online) February 19, 2023 CAR coach Sebastien Ngato says the target is to reach the semifinals and qualify for the World Cup.”Before coming, we prepared the team in Morocco, and we’re ready for the competition. Our target is to go to the semi-final, and we hope to achieve more than the last tournament in Mauritania. I’m satisfied with our preparations in Morocco, and we played two matches, and it was good that we prepared. We want to go further. This is like the World Cup for us,” he said.”The team did well, and the team has a goal, which is to come to the competition, and we’re not here to have fun; we have a goal. This is the category for U-20, and we have brought new players to play in this competition. We are here to give it our all,” he added.Ferdinand Omanyala: The stone that was once rejected but is now Kenya’s athletic cornerstoneSouth Sudan vs. CongoAt 8 p.m. EAT, South Sudan and Congo will meet for the second Group B match. South Sudan are debutants in the competition, while Congo will be making a return after gracing the 2018 edition.Sudan stunned many during the Cecafa region qualifiers, where they reached the final. They eventually lost to Uganda, but both teams qualified for the continental showpiece. Their U17 team is equally qualified for AFCON U-17, an indication of the progress their football is making.On Monday evening, the two teams will meet for the first time ever in a match that could go either way.NSL: Murang’a Seal-Gogo clash called off as Mara, Coastal Heroes win
