The Northern Irish coach was impressed with the team’s display in his first match at home as they extinguished the Flames
Ugandan coach Johnny McKinstry has praised his charges for picking up a convincing win against Malawi in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played on Sunday.
Emmanuel Okwi and Fahad Bayo scored as the Cranes recorded a 2-0 home win over the Flames in their first home game of the 2021 Afcon campaign.
Okwi gave the Cranes a 29th-minute lead after running onto a Joseph Ochaya lofted pass. He then showed tremendous composure in taking the ball down and picking his spot with a confident finish.
Bayo then doubled the Cranes advantage after overpowering Lucky Malata to finish emphatically and give coach McKinstry his first win in the campaign.
“I wish to thank the players for putting up a spirited fight, it is the kind of performance I was asking from them before the match and they proved me wrong,” McKinstry told reporters after the match.
“My players took advantage of the two key moments and scored the goals. I really want to thank them. I also want to thank the fans for playing a huge role, they gave us good support from the first to the final whistle.
“The whole team was in good shape, they played well and we must not get carried away but keep our feet on the ground because it is just the start.”
The win moved the Cranes joint top of Group B with four points alongside Burkina Faso who were also 2-0 winners over South Sudan.
Uganda opened their qualification campaign with a goalless draw against the Burkinabes while Malawi beat South Sudan.
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