Uganda's stand-in captain Hassan Wasswa has blamed a 'childish mistake' for the Cranes' 1-0 defeat by the Central African Republic at the Stade General Seyni Kountche in Niamey on Wednesday.
Ralph Kottoy scored the only goal of the game late in the first half after a horrific defensive mixup at the back for the Ugandans, where a series of Cranes defender were left exposed by Louis Mafouta's cross due to poor positioning and awareness.
The win means the Central African Republic top the three-team table with four points after drawing 3-3 with hosts Niger on Sunday.
"It is a wake-up call for us players to know where we stand," Wasswa told the Uganda FA's media team. "We played well, but made one childish mistake and lost the game.
"As players we should keep working hard as we plan for the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifying game against Tanzania.
"Our opponents were on the back foot for most of the game, but we did not take our chances," he added. "I am confident that the technical team will work hard to rectify our mistakes and prepare a strong team for the four AFCON qualifying games [this] year."
Cranaes head coach Sebastien Desabre was happy with his players' performance, despite the loss.
"Although I am disappointed with the defeat, we played well and my players were fighting hard as a team to try and get a good result from the match," said the Frenchman.
Uganda face Niger on Saturday, and Desabre will be desperate to pick up a victory after having managed just one - a 3-1 triumph over Sao Tome e Principe - since taking over as Cranes head coach in December.
Uganda Cranes began their 2019 AFCON qualifying campaign with a vital 1-0 away win against Cape Verde last year.
In September they will host Tanzania before facing Lesotho the following month.