By 
The Uganda U20 men’s team, the Hippos, has made wonders and created history at the AFCON U20 tournament on their debut appearance. Under the guidance of Morley Byekwaso, the team has gone on to break the barriers and made it to the final with a brilliant performance, dominating all the games they have played so far.
Here is a look into the Hippos’ road to the final as we also take a dig into their opponents Ghana on how they have managed to perform till the final day.
The Hippos journey and the unsung Heroes
The Hippos were pitted in group A alongside the hosts of Mauritania, Mozambique who were the weakest link in the group and Cameroon.
Uganda 2-0 Mozambique
This was the Hippos first game of the group stage and it came with ease with Derrick Kakooza scoring Uganda’s first goal of the tournament from a penalty. Steven Sserwadda came off the bench to double the tally as the game ended in a comfortable 2-0 win.
Cameroon 1-0 Uganda
The second game was rather a set back for the boys, but they weren’t derailed. They suffered a 1-0 loss to Cameroon from a first-half Junior Sunday Hang.
Mauritania 1-2 Uganda
This was the group decider and it was against the hosts who were level on points with the Hippos. Both teams needed to win to qualify.
The Hippos endured a tough job against the hosts, suffering a first-half penalty in the 37th minute of the game. However, the Hippos managed to recover in the second half to claim the win courtesy of the formidable pairing of Steven Sserwadda and Derrick Kakooza who both netted for a second time each to ensure the team qualifies to the next round.
Burkina Faso 0(3) – 0(5) Uganda – quarterfinal round
A heroic moment this game was for the Ascent Soccer Academy goalkeeper Jack Komakech who proved his worth in the shoot-out win against the Burkinabe.
Komakech made brilliant saves from the resilient Burkina Faso team in the 120 minutes of the game which ended in a goalless draw before wrapping it up with a better save in the spot-kicks for the Hippos to qualify on a 5-3 scoreline after shots from the penalty mark.
Uganda 4-1 Tunisia – Semifinal round
This was a thumping of one of the tournament’s favourites, Tunisia, in a 4-1 scoreline. Derrick Kakooza netted the first hat trick of the tournament and also assisted Richard Basangwa for the other goal on the night. Kakooza’s hat trick took his tally to 6 goals and he remains on top of the scorers’ log. The Hippos now await to face Ghana in the finals of the tournament.
Derrick Kakooza who has so far netted six goals stands out as the outstanding player for the hippos, but the formidable midfield partnership of Najib Yiga, Isma Mugulusi and Karim Watambala has also been so vital in the style of play.
Ghana’s road to the final
Ghana’s road to the final was a way different from that of the Hippos after reaching the quarter-finals as the third best-placed team in group C after falling behind Morocco and Gambia who occupied the top two slots.
Ghana’s first game was a 4-0 win against Tanzania before registering a goalless draw against the group C leaders of Morocco a 2nd later succumbing to a 2-1 loss to Gambia.
In the quarterfinals, Ghana eliminated Cameroon by a 4-2 penalty scoreline after all 1-1 draw in the 120 minutes played. They went on to take revenge against the Gambia by winning their semi-final tie 1-0 to book a slot in the finals against Uganda.
The final is to be played at Cheikha Ould Boidiya Stadium on Saturday 6th March between Uganda and Ghana.
