Algeria made a commanding start to their African Nations Championship (CHAN) campaign with a 3-0 win over Uganda in their Group C opener in Kampala on Monday.
The result leaves Uganda as the only co-hosting nation to lose their opening match, following weekend victories for fellow hosts Tanzania and Kenya.
Ayoub Ghezala opened the scoring for the Desert Foxes, rising highest at the near post to head home a cross from Abderrahmane Meziane shortly before the interval.
Meziane, who was later named man of the match, doubled the lead in the 76th minute with a brilliant left-footed curling strike from the edge of the area. Just three minutes later, Sofiane Bayazid sealed the win with a neat finish after exchanging passes with left-back Naoufel Khacef.
Uganda had their chances, notably through long-range efforts from Joel Ssrunjogi and Patrick Kakande, but both were denied by Algerian goalkeeper Zakaria Boulhalfaya.
Uganda’s next challenge will be against Guinea, who also began their tournament with a win, narrowly beating Niger 1-0. Teenage striker Mohammed Bangoura scored the decisive goal two minutes into the second half, making up for an earlier miss. His strike was initially ruled offside but was awarded after a VAR review.
The match in Abidjan featured several interventions from the video assistant referee, underlining VAR’s growing role in African football.