Sebastien Ngato, the coach of the Central African Republic (CAR), expressed optimism at the TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations after his team responded after falling behind Uganda by two goals.

Ngato made the remarks after his team’s 2-1 loss to the Hippos on Monday at the Suez Canal Stadium in the Egyptian city of Ismailia.

Uganda took the lead after the break thanks to goals from captain Isma Mugulusi and John Paul Dembe, but Boris Gbenou pulled one back in stoppage time to make the game tense.

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The late goal by Gbenou for Les Fauves has convinced CAR’s coach that they can compete well in this tournament being held in Egypt.

“We played better after we went behind against a very good Ugandan team,” Ngato said after the match.

“We started well but lost the rhythm in the second half.

“The second half performance is encouraging for us as we have two matches to realise our target of qualifying.”

After making their debut in Mauritania two years ago, the Central African Republic is competing in the TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations for the second time.

To maintain their prospects, Les Fauves must win their upcoming game against South Sudan.