Uganda coach Moses Basena has expressed praise for his squad depite the 1-0 away loss to Egypt at Borg El-Arab Stadium Tuesday in the African qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup.

“We lost gallantly. We put up a spirited performance away from home. I am impressed by the team’s overall display,” Basena told Ugandan media after the game.

Thanks to an early goal by Egypt's Mohamed Salah, the Pharaohs passed their last week 1-0 defeat away in Kampala to the Cranes and returned to the driving seat of the Group E qualifiers with 9 points, two ahead of Uganda.

Uganda hopes of reaching their first ever World Cup haven't vanished as they are still have a chance if they win the last two games of the qualifiers, against Ghana and Congo respectively, hoping that Egypt would fall against one of them at least.

"We lost the battle but not the war. We shall keep fighting to the end," Uganda star striker Emmanuel Okwi, 24, stated on his Twitter account after the game.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) expressed confidence in the Uganda squad despite the loss, thanking the fans who supported them in Egypt.

"We felt at home when we saw our fans in the stands. They were cheering the team on and it was a nice feeling seeing them support the team till the end of the game," stated FUFA official Ahmed Hussein on their official website.

Uganda will host Ghana (5 points) on 7 October, one day before Egypt host Congo (one point) in a decisive round, before the last when Uganda play in Congo while Egypt play in Ghana a month later.

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