Uganda edged out Malawi 2-0 in the first quarterfinal of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup at the National Stadium in Addis Ababa on Monday afternoon to book a slot in the semifinals.

Farouk Miya netted a fine header in the fifth minute from a Joseph Ochaya pass on the left wing to hand the Cranes an early lead that changed the course of the game for good.

Malawi coach Ernest Mtawali told supersport.com, “We conceded very early into the game and that affected us completely. It disorganized us because they took charge of the game and were fast on the ball.”

Caesar Okhuti then doubled Uganda’s lead in the 48th minute with a fine finish at the far post after making a spirited run into the box from the right flank to hand Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic’s side a comfortable lead.

“Our intention was to kill off the game as early as possible and thankfully our plan went our way. We wanted to defend by attacking and then cool down after that and prepare for the semifinals. I want to thank the players because they deserve to go to the semifinals,” explained the contented Micho.

Malawi attempted to launch a comeback in the last 15 minutes with midfielder John Banda attempting a long-range shot that was punched away by Ugandan goalkeeper Ismail Watenga for a corner kick that was cleared.

Uganda will meet the winner between hosts Ethiopia and Tanzania in the semifinals at the same venue.