The Carthage Eagles took early control of the contest and opened the scoring in the 10th minute through Elyes Skhiri. They doubled their lead five minutes before halftime, with Elias Achouri side-footing inside the box to score. 

Copenhagen forward Achouri scored Tunisia’s third goal with 26 minutes remaining, but Uganda had the last say on the pitch thanks to a goal by Denis Omedi.

Photo: X

After the match, Ugandan coach Paul Put said his team was too timid against the North African side.

“We showed them too much respect. We know they are good at set pieces. This is a bad start. 

“I think we were not aggressive enough. If you play Afcon, you need to win the duels. We only had about 25 minutes of the game, but the rest, we were on the back foot, which is not enough for a competition like the Africa Cup of Nations.

“We know what we have to do in our next game. We will be playing under pressure. A draw will not be enough. 

“You now need to win your next game to be in a position to finish second or third. We will analyse the game and identify what we did wrong and what can be done better. I do believe that we can bounce back,” he said.

Uganda are next in action against Tanzania in Rabat on Saturday, while Tunisia will face Nigeria in Fes that same evening.

Meanwhile, Nigeria had to fight hard for their 2-1 victory over Tanzania on Tuesday evening.

The Super Eagles had controlled much of the first half and were rewarded nine minutes before the interval when Semi Ajayi powered home a header. Tanzania equalised in the second half thanks to a goal by Charles M’Mombwa. 

But, just two minutes later, African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman restored the West Africans’ lead and secured three points for his side.

In Tuesday’s final two games, Botswana went down 3-0 to Senegal in Tangier. Nicolas Jackson scored twice for the West African team – in the first and second half – while the final goal was scored by Cherif Ndiaye two minutes from time.  

And DR Congo also had a winning start to their campaign, edging Benin 1-0 at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat. They scored in the 16th minute when Theo Bongonda slotted the ball into the net after a defensive misunderstanding.

After the match, Benin coach Gernot Rohr said he was still immensely proud of his team.

ALSO READ: Siya Kolisi to leave Sharks for Stormers at end of season

“We witnessed a very good football match that did not deserve to have a loser. My team made me proud. It was the first time we played with this system. 

“We will now prepare well for the match against Botswana, with the advantage of having our suspended players back.”

DR Congo will face Senegal on Saturday, while Benin will take on Botswana earlier on the same day.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger mvh