Uganda head coach Laryea Kingston has urged his players to remain focused on the task immediately in front of them as the Hippos prepare for a decisive Group B encounter against Sudan in the CECAFA U20 AFCON qualifiers in Dar es Salaam.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsUganda opened their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Djibouti at Uhuru Stadium, with Isima Magala scoring twice while Genesis Ocen Odiya and captain Richard Okello also found the net. Sudan responded with a 3-0 win over Djibouti, setting up a meeting in which the winner will take control of Group B and secure a place in the semi-finals.Kingston, however, was more interested in the performance than simply the three points from Uganda's opening match.##NAJAVA_MECA_9968586##“Every team in this competition knows that winning their first game puts them in tournament mode, but then again we have to look at the performance first. We couldn't start the game very well in the first half, but in the second half we got better,” Kingston said.That improvement was reflected in the scoreline. After Djibouti briefly levelled through Ishak Tahir, Uganda restored their lead through Odiya, before Okello and Magala added two more goals after the break.Kingston wants that attacking contribution to come from across the team rather than relying on a single goalscorer.Still in the woods: FKF Premier League kick-off postponed once again“For us, the way we play, we don't only rely on one player scoring the goals. Full backs and defenders can score,” he said.The coach described his approach as “total football”, with players given the freedom to express themselves while contributing to the collective attacking structure.Part of that involves movement away from the ball. Kingston highlighted the importance of decoy runs in creating spaces for teammates, rather than expecting every attacking movement to end with the player making the run receiving the ball.That philosophy could prove important against Sudan, who will arrive with confidence after their own convincing opening victory.Rising Stars face must win clash against South Sudan to keep U20 AFCON hopes aliveSudan beat Djibouti 3-0, leaving both Uganda and Sudan on three points with identical +3 goal differences. Uganda currently lead the group after scoring four goals compared to Sudan's three.Kingston is under no illusion about the size of the challenge.“Sudan have a very good team. It's very important that we bring our A game,” he said. “We have a game plan, and we see how the Sudanese will deal with that.”The meeting is effectively a group decider. With Djibouti already eliminated after defeats by both teams, the winner of Uganda and Sudan will finish top of Group B and qualify for the semi-finals.A draw would leave the qualification picture dependent on the final standings and goal difference.Selebwa demands character as Rising Stars face South Sudan in must win clashThe stakes are significant because the three group winners and the best runner-up advance to the semi-finals, with the two finalists earning CECAFA's places at the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations.Uganda arrive with a strong pedigree at this level.The Hippos were runners-up at the 2021 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, losing 2-0 to Ghana in the final, while they also won the CECAFA U20 title in 2022.But Kingston does not want that history to become a distraction.Kenya learns group opponents for inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and FestivalThe coach has instead stressed continuity in Uganda's youth development model, with the U17 and U20 teams following the same footballing philosophy.“We have a game model that we are following. If you look at how the U17s play, the U20s are also playing the same style of play,” Kingston said. “For us, whatever we have done before is behind us and we are looking at what we can do now, taking it a day at a time.”##NAJAVA_MECA_9968565##That approach will be tested when Uganda face Sudan at Uhuru Stadium at 4pm on Saturday.With both sides having already demonstrated their ability to score, Kingston's challenge is to ensure the Hippos combine their attacking freedom with the discipline required to navigate a game that could determine who tops Group B.
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