Debutants Uganda U20 Team- the Hippos are in the final of the Total AFCON U20 with a majestic result against North African side Tunisia. Hippos commandingly beat Tunisia 4-1 at Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya in Mauritania.
The Hippos played, as a unit, stuck to the game plan, and showed hunger like never before. Viper SC’s Richard Basangwa opened the scoring with a mind-blowing skill to take off his opponent before hitting the ball hard with his sweet left foot.
Enterprising striker Derrick Kakooza who plays for Police FC recorded the first hattrick of the tournament hitting the back of the net in the 36th, 50th and 73rd minutes.
Kakooza was named Man of the Match and he is the leading top scorer of the tournament with five goals followed by Ghanaian Percious Boah with three goals.
Uganda stormed the final to face Ghana who ejected Gambia 1-0 in the other semifinal. It will be a repeat of the 1978 Nations Cup Final when the two teams faced off but at senior level. Ghana won 2-0 in Kumasi. This time round the final is in a different country and for a junior tournament.
The final will be played on Saturday March 6 2021 at the Stade Olympque in Nouakchott.
This is the third time both teams are meeting in U20 competition. They played each other in the AFCON U20 Qualifiers in 2012 where the Hippos won 3-1 at home before losing 3-0 away in Ghana during the 2nd leg.
Uganda U20 team, the Uganda Hippos is set to win up to $200,000 (Shs740 million) if they lift the Total AFCON U20 Trophy.