AFCON 2025: Allan Okello Misses Penalty as Uganda and Tanzania Share Spoils in East African Derby

Uganda and Tanzania played out a draw in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group stage East African derby at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

Before clashing at AFCON 2025, the East African rivals most recently met in an international friendly on July 22, 2025, where Tanzania secured a narrow 1-0 victory over the Cranes.

Going into the match, Taifa Stars and Uganda Cranes were aware of the crucial nature because they are currently at the bottom of Group C without a point after suffering opening-day defeats, with Uganda losing 3-1 to Tunisia and Tanzania falling 2-1 to Nigeria.

This East African derby is essentially a must-win survival match to keep their knockout stage hopes alive, as another loss would leave them on the brink of elimination before facing their final group opponents.

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The Uganda Cranes started the match with high intensity, spending much of the opening period camped in the Taifa Stars’ half and creating several scoring opportunities.

Tanzania looked to respond on the counter, but veteran goalkeeper Denis Onyango remained alert. In the eighth minute, Uganda’s Allan Okello came close to opening the scoring, only for Tanzanian goalkeeper Zuberi Foba to deny him.

Uganda threatened again in the 15th minute, striking the woodwork before a rebound was cleared by a defender.

Tanzania continued to probe for a break, but its efforts failed to break the deadlock. The intensity remained high into the 20th minute, with both sides showing flashes of quality.

Uganda’s disciplined defence kept the Taifa Stars at bay, while Allan Okello also found space limited by Tanzania’s organisation.

Just before halftime, Uganda earned a corner, but the set piece came to nothing as the ball was diverted and the rebound was safely gathered by the Tanzanian goalkeeper.

Early in the second half, Tanzania earned a free kick just outside the box, but the effort drifted wide, with the linesman also raising the offside flag.

In the 50th minute, the Taifa Stars came close to breaking the deadlock, only for the attempt to miss the target, while the resulting corner failed to produce a goal.

By the 53rd minute, the score remained 0-0, with both sides still looking capable of claiming all three points. A Tanzania throw-in a minute later came to nothing as the ball was safely collected by the Ugandan goalkeeper.

In the 56th minute, Tanzania were awarded a penalty after a handball was judged inside the box, despite Denis Onyango eventually getting a hand to the ball. The penalty was then converted successfully courtesy of Simon Msuva, who broke the deadlock.

Another free kick was awarded to Uganda, but Allan Okello failed to capitalise on his position as he diverted the ball wide. In the 71st minute, Uganda threatened again, but the goalkeeper reacted quickly to gather the ball before it could find the net.

The Cranes earned a corner in the 74th minute, only for a Tanzanian defender to block the delivery and clear it back into midfield. Uganda won another corner from the resulting rebound, but before it was taken, they made two substitutions, with youngster James Bogere coming on for his second appearance.

The corner was deflected, leading to a Uganda throw-in that failed to trouble the defence. With less than 15 minutes remaining, the Cranes pressed hard for an equaliser, but Tanzania’s backline held firm. Coming from the bench, Uche Ikpeazu, through a header, equalised for Uganda before a heavy downpour ensued.

In the 84th minute, Tanzania had a corner, a chance to take the lead once again, but it was not converted successfully. At the same time, Tanzania made three changes. In the 87th minute, Uganda were awarded a penalty after youngster James Bogere was brought down inside the box.

Allan Okello took the penalty, but the ball went above the woodwork, missing a chance for the Uganda Cranes to lead.

In the dying moments of the match, Tanzania created two late chances, with the first effort drifting wide and the second comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper.