Algeria made a commanding start to their CHAN 2024 campaign with a decisive 3-0 victory over co-hosts Uganda in the tournament’s opening match at Uganda being the co-hosting nation at CHAN 2024 tourney.
Displaying tactical discipline and clinical finishing, Algeria took control early, striking first in the 35th minute when Ayoub Ghezala capitalized on Uganda’s disorganized defense to open the scoring. Ahead at the break, the Desert Foxes dictated play with precision.
Second half: Despite suffering a blow that dislodged a tooth, winger Abderrahmane Meziane continued undeterred. He doubled the lead in the 76th minute with a composed finish and was later named Man of the Match for his all-round influence. A third goal followed in the 79th minute, when substitute Soufine Beyazid calmly slotted home an empty-net strike to seal the result.
Uganda’s loss makes them the only co-host nation to drop points on matchday one while Tanzania and Kenya both secured wins.
This defeat also extends Uganda’s group-stage curse, having never advanced past this round in seven CHAN appearances, and keeps Algeria’s unbeaten CHAN record against Uganda intact.
Uganda faces a must-win clash to stay in contention, with Guinea already leading the group after their win over Niger.
Uganda head coach Morley Byekwaso admitted that pressure and nerves overwhelmed his side, particularly in midfield, leading to a collapse in structure and confidence under Algeria’s relentless tempo.
Although substitutes like Karim Watambala and Allan Okello the latter making his CHAN debut and leading from the front injected urgency, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide
“We came all out to do our best, but we failed in some departments. Most especially in the first half, we struggled so much to break their lines in their defensive block. So the moment we could do it, we could be a threat, but it wasn’t as stable as we wanted.”
” But we have to agree they were better on ball usage in all departments from defense into attack. We didn’t take away the chances we would have taken. There were not that much many, but we would have at least got one goal to come back into the game.”
Upcoming Fixtures for Group C
Uganda Cranes (Group C)- Friday, 8 August 2025 – 20:00; Guinea vs Uganda
Monday, 11 August 2025 – 20:00: Uganda vs Niger
Monday, 18 August 2025 – 20:00: South Africa vs Uganda
Algeria (Group C)- Friday, 8 August 2025 – 17:00; Algeria vs South Africa
Monday, 18 August 2025 – time TBC: Algeria vs Niger
