CECAFA U-17 Championship
Zanzibar 0-3 Uganda (Shadia Nabirye (44′), Immaculate Acen (58′), Justine Ayerango (90′)
Thursday (KMC Stadium)
Uganda vs South Sudan — 4:00 PM
Uganda’s Teen Cranes secured their place in the semi-finals of the CECAFA U-17 Girls Championship after defeating Zanzibar 3-0 at KMC Stadium on Tuesday, maintaining their perfect start to the tournament.
The victory means Uganda has now won both of its opening matches, following the emphatic demolition of Djibouti in their tournament opener, and remains firmly on course for a strong challenge for the regional title.
Having scored 13 goals against Djibouti, Uganda entered the match as overwhelming favourites and quickly asserted their dominance against the hosts, controlling possession and creating numerous scoring opportunities.
Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, the Teen Cranes struggled to convert their chances in the opening stages. Vicky Ayeronimungu and Martha Babirye both came close from dangerous free-kick situations, while Justine Ayerango continued to trouble the Zanzibar defence with her pace and movement.
Uganda’s persistence finally paid off just before halftime when tournament top scorer Shadia Nabirye broke the deadlock in the 44th minute. The forward calmly finished off a well-worked move to give the Teen Cranes a deserved 1-0 lead heading into the break.
The goal capped a dominant first-half display by Uganda, who limited Zanzibar to very few attacking opportunities while maintaining control of proceedings.
The Teen Cranes resumed the second half with the same attacking intent and nearly doubled their advantage in the 54th minute when Nabirye came close after a brilliant move involving Ayerango.
The second goal arrived four minutes later.
Nabirye turned provider this time, setting up Immaculate Acen, who finished clinically in the 58th minute to extend Uganda’s lead and put the game beyond Zanzibar’s reach.
With a comfortable two-goal cushion, Uganda controlled the tempo of the match and continued to create opportunities while remaining defensively solid.
Zanzibar struggled to break down the Ugandan backline as the Teen Cranes comfortably managed the closing stages of the contest.
Ayerango crowned another impressive individual performance by adding Uganda’s third goal in the 90th minute, sealing a convincing 3-0 victory and confirming the Teen Cranes’ qualification for the knockout stages.
Semi-Final Spot Secured
The result sends Uganda into the semi-finals with six points from two matches, having scored 16 goals and conceded none so far in the competition.
Coach Sheryl Botes’ side has looked one of the strongest teams in the tournament, combining attacking efficiency with defensive discipline.
Nabirye once again emerged among Uganda’s standout performers, adding to the hat-trick she scored against Djibouti, while Acen and Ayerango continued their impressive tournament campaigns.
The Teen Cranes will conclude their group-stage campaign against South Sudan on Thursday at KMC Stadium, seeking to maintain their winning momentum ahead of the semi-finals.
Uganda is using the CECAFA Championship as part of preparations for future international competitions following their painful exit from the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, where they narrowly lost to Kenya on the away-goals rule.
With two commanding victories already recorded, the Teen Cranes have sent a strong warning to the rest of the teams competing in Tanzania and remain among the favourites to lift the regional crown.
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