Uganda started their quest for the U17 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ticket with a resounding win over Burundi while Somalia upset hosts Ethiopia on the opening day of the CECAFA qualifiers for the continental event.Uganda Cubs hit their opponent 4-0 to take a big lead in Group B, with Somalia seeing off Ethiopia by a solitary goal in the first Group A match at the Abebe Bikila stadium, Ethiopia.Alex Yiga grabbed a brace for Uganda, with Arafat Nkoola and Richard Okello netting a goal each to complete the four goal rout.Match Day 1 @TotalEnergies U17 AFCON Qualifiers – CECAFA Zone Group B Uganda U17 🇺🇬 4-0 Burundi U17 🇧🇮 Group A Ethiopia U17 🇪🇹 0-1 Somalia U17 🇸🇴 #UGABUR #ETHSOM pic.twitter.com/sMwuwELReV— Cecafaonline (@Cecafaonline) October 3, 2022 A 12th-minute strike by Abdihafid Abdi for Somalia was all they needed against the hosts, and they went on to hold to the slim advantage for the better part of the match and pick maximum points.Following the win, a tearful Nur Mohamed Amin, Somalia’s coach, dedicated the win to all the people of Somalia saying that the win was a result of the hard work put in by the side.“This is a very sweet win and the team has worked hard to achieve it,” Amin said.Djibouti, Sudan disqualified from U-17 AFCON qualifiersUganda will now take on South Sudan on Wednesday while Ethiopia take on Tanzania in the other match, with Somalia and Burundi having to wait until Sunday to get back to action.Only six teams are taking part in the zonal qualifier following the withdrawal of Eritrea and Rwanda and the disqualification of Sudan and Djibouti after some of their players failed the age test.
