Dennis Masinde Onyango proved why he was chosen as Africa’s best goal-keeper when he denied Zimbabwe’s warriors a second goal in one of the most breathtaking saves so far seen at the 2019 AFCON.
The Cranes captain recorded an epic save when he moved faster than the ball, literally by quickly turning backward to pull Knowledge Musona’s strike off the line in the 69th minute and deny the Warriors the much-needed winner.
Onyango had made another super save in the 35th minute, but his greatest moment came in the second half (69th minute) when he stretched to pull back the ball off the goal-line. Following Uganda’s first goal that came courtesy of Emmanuel Okwi, Uganda Cranes faced relentless pressure from the Warriors that earned them a 40th minute equalizer.
Onyango’s safe pair of hands earned him adoration among Ugandans as seen by the thousands of platitudes doing rounds on social media.
Some called it the Save of the tournament, while others called it the brightest goal-keeper performance so far in the tournament.
Other comments have been just for fun. Someone posted that Onyango ‘can save an unwanted pregnancy’, and another quipped that Onyango can save Bank of Uganda.
The Sunrise’s Ramathan Ggoobi, who is also a renown economist and soccer fan dubbed Onyango “Arguably the best goal-keeper in Black skin in the world. Hello Arsenal keep the scouting fees.”
Onyango’s performance though outstanding, overshadowed several other good players including Emmanuel Okwi and Abdul Lumala.
The draw leaves Uganda Cranes in second place after Egypt dethroned Uganda following their second win over D.R Congo. At four points, Uganda needs to secure at least a draw in Sunday’s game with Egypt to be assured of qualification to the knock-out stages.
As it stands in Group A
Country Games Played Points Goals
Egypt 2 6 3
Uganda 2 4 3
Zimbabwe 2 1 1
D.R Congo 2 0 0
