Uganda Rhinos bounced back from their opening-day heartbreak in style, scoring 11 goals in two matches to beat Equatorial Guinea and Cabo Verde at the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday.

After losing 4-3 to the Kyrgyz Republic on Saturday, Anthony Bongole’s youngsters needed a response. They delivered it with a commanding 6-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea before completing the day with a 5-1 win against Cabo Verde.

The first victory was built on a blistering start that left Equatorial Guinea chasing shadows.

Frank Baluku opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 10th minute before Angello Kasumba doubled Uganda’s lead two minutes later. Ivan Kiganda struck in the 13th minute to make it 3-0, giving the Rhinos three goals in just four minutes.

Mathias Muwonge added a fourth in the 17th minute as Uganda continued to dominate.

There was no way back for Equatorial Guinea, with Jefferson Kwikiriza scoring in the 26th minute before Ian Wafula completed the 6-0 rout three minutes later.

It was the perfect response to Saturday’s narrow defeat and Uganda’s first victory of the tournament.

The Rhinos carried that confidence into their second match against Cabo Verde, maintaining their attacking momentum to secure another convincing result.

Kasumba scored twice, while Kwikiriza, Kiganda and Wafula added a goal each to seal a 5-1 victory and complete a memorable double for the Ugandans.

The two wins gave Bongole’s side 11 goals for the day, a significant turnaround after the disappointment of their opening match.

Uganda are competing in Group U at the tournament, which features an eight-a-side format, with matches lasting 40 minutes across two 20-minute halves.

The Rhinos return to action on Monday, October 26, when they face Ecuador and Tonga in their final qualification-stage double-header.

Those results will determine their placement in the second phase, which is divided into six performance tiers. Every team will continue competing regardless of its qualification-stage results, with the winner of Tier A crowned the overall champion.

Having rediscovered their scoring touch, the Rhinos will hope to carry Sunday’s momentum into Monday’s matches and secure the strongest possible position heading into the next phase.