Crested Cranes secure crucial victory over Ethiopia in WAFCON qualifiers

The Uganda senior women’s football national team, the Crested Cranes, took a significant step towards qualifying for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Ethiopia in the first leg of the qualifiers at the Hamz Stadium in Nakivubo.

The match was a closely contested encounter, with both teams creating scoring opportunities.

Ethiopia’s Senaf Wakuma squandered a golden chance to put the visitors ahead, while Uganda’s Aisha Nantongo and Zainah Namuleme also came close to scoring, but their efforts were thwarted by the Ethiopian goalkeeper or went wide of the target.

The game remained goalless at halftime, but Uganda returned with renewed vigor in the second half, dominating possession and creating more scoring opportunities.

Nabbumba came close to scoring, but Ethiopian goalkeeper Bergena made two quick succession saves to keep the game goalless.

The decisive moment arrived in the 89th minute when Namuleme was fouled outside the box, and the referee awarded Uganda a free kick.

Namuleme stepped up and unleashed a powerful thunderbolt of a free kick to put Uganda ahead and send the fans into raptures.

Just a minute later, Ethiopia’s defense failed to clear the ball, and Fazila Ikwaput seized the opportunity, controlling the ball brilliantly before smashing it past the goalkeeper to double Uganda’s lead.

The victory gives Uganda a significant advantage ahead of the return leg, as they will only need to avoid a defeat of more than one goal to progress to the next round.

The Crested Cranes will now travel to Ethiopia on February 26 for the return leg, which will determine the team that progresses to the next qualifying stage.