L’Uganda hello to African Cup in the most traumatic way possible. Against the Nigeriaalready qualified for the round of 16, the Cranes lose 3-1 but above all they are forced to use all three goalkeepers during the same match, a very rare event in top-level football.
Uganda was obliged to win to hope for qualification from Group C. The match, however, immediately takes a wrong turn. At 0-0 the starting goalkeeper Denis Onyango40, injured his ankle while trying to defend a corner kick. He grits his teeth and stays on the pitch until half-time, but in the 28th minute he is beaten by Brithwho broke the deadlock by interrupting a four-year fast in the national team.
In the second half Onyango couldn’t make it and was replaced by Dr.. His match lasted just 11 minutes: a messy exit outside the area and a handball Victor Osimhenresulting in direct expulsion. Uganda with ten men and no more alternatives between the posts: the third goalkeeper, Nafian Alionzi, comes in.
Uganda’s daring elimination, in 10 minutes they find themselves without goalkeepers against Nigeria
Chaos becomes final. In five minutes Raphael Onyedika scores twice and closes the game. Rogers Mato’s late goal only serves to sweeten the score, not the fate of Uganda, eliminated with just one point.
Deploy three goalkeepers in the same match it is an exceptional circumstance. In the international context it has rarely happened, almost always in extreme contexts: sudden expulsions or chain injuries. The most recent case occurred in the semi-final of the last Under 20 World Cup when Morocco fielded all three goalkeepers available and then beat Colombia’s equalizer on penalties. Further back in time, similar situations were seen in minor or youth competitions, while they remain in large national tournaments borderline episodesoften linked to emergency management of the race.
For Uganda, however, the data becomes the symbol of a complicated and messy tournament. For Nigeria, who finished the group with full points despite the turnover, it was just a step towards the direct elimination phase. But the Fes match will remain in the Africa Cup of Nations archives for a very specific reason: three goalkeepers, just one match, and an elimination that tells more than a thousand statistics.
