Uganda’s magical run at the FIFA U17 World Cup came to a painful halt on Tuesday after a dramatic 1–1 draw was settled by a 5–3 penalty defeat to Burkina Faso at Aspire Zone, Pitch 5.
The Cubs, who had captured global attention with their fearless football and giant-killing of Senegal in the Round of 64, entered the contest brimming with belief.
Uganda, however, faced the challenge of playing without their red-hot forward James Bogere, who sat out due to suspension after accumulating two yellow cards. Burkina Faso also missed key figures Ashiraf Loukman and Tapsoba Isma Azelle.
Head coach Brian Ssenyondo made a single adjustment from the previous lineup, handing Enock Bagenda a starting berth to fill the void left by Bogere.
Burkina Faso enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in what was a tense and physically demanding duel, but it was Uganda who carved out the clearest scoring moments.
Isima Magala came agonizingly close when his towering header rattled the base of the upright, while long-range attempts from Abubakali Walusimbi and Richard Okello forced the Burkinabe goalkeeper into smart saves.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 56th minute when Arafat Nkoola bent a sumptuous effort into the far corner after being beautifully set up by Walusimbi, sending the Ugandan bench into wild celebrations.
But Burkina Faso clawed back through second-half substitute Alassana Bagayogo, who cushioned the ball on his chest before calmly sweeping it past goalkeeper Edrisah Waibi to restore parity.
With normal time unable to separate the two African hopefuls, Ssenyondo opted for late tactical shifts—introducing goalkeeper Adrian Mukwanga for the shootout and replacing Nkoola with Derrick Ssozi.
Unfortunately for Uganda, the Young Stallions were ice-cold from twelve yards, converting all five of their spot-kicks. Ssozi’s miss proved costly as Burkina Faso marched into the quarterfinals, where they will face Italy, who edged Uzbekistan 3–2.
