Cranes in the dock

NEVER has Ugandan football invested so much into ‘hope’ than this afternoon, when a final verdict will be delivered on Cranes’ World Cup qualification fate.

The 40,202 capacity fortress at Namboole will principally rely on hope, prayer and to an extent miracle when Uganda engages Benin in its ultimate World Cup qualifier that will determine whether Cranes progress to the final stages of the current qualifying campaign.

And with the huge expectations of the entire nation firmly placed on his managerial instincts, even the broad-shouldered Robert Williamson should feel the burden of the Herculean task somewhat too heavy to bear. Cranes’ engagement with the Squirrels or ‘Emerging Panthers’ possesses all the hallmarks of ‘life or death’, where anything short of a comprehensive victory, will leave the nation with more than its expectations shattered.

All indications are that the current situation has Uganda in an even-tightening embrace, having suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of Niger, and being pushed into the worst possible scenario of relying on an Angola defeat or draw with Niger to guarantee qualification.

But Ugandans can draw much needed inspiration from the fact that Cranes have not lost a game at their fortress since their defeat against South Africa in 2006. Besides, they have also claimed the scalps of giants such as Ghana, and Nigeria. Reassuring though this maybe, Cranes know this pales into insignificance when compared to Benin’s reputation and track record.

2008 Nations Cup finalists, Benin, who humiliated Cranes 4-1 in their previous meeting in Cotonou, secured their ticket to the final round after yet another commanding 3-2 win over Angola.

Benin exhibited finesse and astute movement in training, on and off the ball, and Cranes ought to fall back often when without possession. They are bound to territorially dominate the game, meaning Williamson will call upon every bit of muscle from his physically endowed players to strike a counter-balance particularly in midfield and defence.

For Cranes to earn a momentous win, the team will definitely have to play out of their skins. And they can - if only they can stop the visitors scoring. It’s an amazing prediction, but have no doubts whatsoever that Cranes are well capable of that. Williamson will stick with a 4-4-2 formation, with Geoffrey Massa starting just behind Eugene Ssepuuya.

“We will simply win our game and wait,” Williamson said.