Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put pulled no punches in his assessment after his side’s crushing 3-1 defeat to Nigeria’s Super Eagles at the Fes Stadium, a result that sealed a miserable end to Uganda’s AFCON 2025 campaign.
The Belgian tactician described the contest as an uphill task from the opening whistle, admitting his team failed to cope with both the occasion and the opponent.
“It was a very difficult match,” Put said. “We gave away easy goals.”
Uganda’s evening unraveled further midway through the contest when captain Denis Onyango was forced off injured at half-time. His replacement, Salim Omar Magoola, would last only minutes before being shown a red card, leaving the Cranes with ten men and deepening their problems.
The dismissal triggered a rare and chaotic situation for the technical bench, which had no choice but to sacrifice holding midfielder Baba Alhassan in order to introduce third-choice goalkeeper Alionzi Legason Nafian.
“Because of circumstances, we fielded three goalkeepers in one match. This really affected us. I believe the red card (to Jamal) was due to the heat of the game,” Put explained.
Nigeria capitalized fully on the disorder, using their superior strength and tempo to overwhelm the East Africans. Put acknowledged that the Super Eagles’ physical edge and overall quality proved decisive.
“The physical impact was the difference. There was an outright difference in quality. We were under a lot of pressure. We clearly lacked experience and maturity,” he pointed out.
The defeat not only underlined Uganda’s struggles in the tournament but also exposed the gap they must bridge if they are to compete consistently at the highest level of African football.
