Guinea’s bright start to the African Nations Championship came to an abrupt halt on Friday, 8 August 2025, as they fell to a crushing 3-0 loss against Uganda in the second round of the competition.
Played in front of a raucous home crowd in Kampala, the Ugandan side dominated from the first whistle to the last, leaving the Syli Nationale unable to find their footing after an encouraging opening victory against Niger.
Speaking after the match, Guinea’s coach Souleymane Abedi Camara offered a frank assessment of the performance.
“I think there were a lot of mistakes, we can’t even name them all. That’s football, anything can happen. They lost 3-0 to Algeria and today they won at home in front of their fans,” he said.
Camara admitted that Uganda’s determination and energy proved decisive.
“We weren’t present in the match.
They put us under pressure from start to finish. At one point, we tried to settle the game, we had chances after the substitutions, but the opponent was stronger today,” he added.
The result leaves Guinea in a precarious position, with just two days to prepare for their next test — a decisive clash against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who earlier held Algeria to a 1-1 draw.
“It’s worrying: 3-0 in the second match, especially since we’re playing again in three days. We’ll only have two days of work. It’s really worrying before facing South Africa. We have to quickly forget this defeat. Mentally, if we’re not ready, it could be even more complicated,” Camara warned.
Despite individual performances coming under scrutiny, the coach refused to single out players. “It’s not the time to make grand speeches. Everyone must analyse internally what went wrong. We must avoid always saying it’s the young players. When you’re selected, you have to be aware of what’s at stake,” he said.
Taking full responsibility for the defeat, Camara stressed: “I am primarily responsible. I am not here to accuse or pity the players. We came to win, not to look for a draw. They were more determined and the score reflects the match. This is not the time to point the finger at one player. It was the whole team that failed.”
While Guinea enjoyed more possession, defensive lapses and poor finishing proved costly. “The first half was catastrophic. The second half was better, but we were already overwhelmed. I didn’t find the local Syli who played against Niger. Now we have to recover,” Camara noted.
The Guinean coach declined to dwell on refereeing controversies, stating: “I’m not here to attack anyone. Everyone saw the match. It’s up to the experts to analyse the footage.”
Guinea, currently third in Group C behind Uganda and Algeria, will face South Africa on 11 August in a match that could decide their fate in the tournament.
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