Coach Suleiman: Valuable lessons learned after draw

DAR ES SALAAM: FOLLOWING a goalless draw against the Central African Republic (CAR), Taifa Stars head coach, Hemed Suleiman stated that his team gained valuable insights that will help them prepare for their quarterfinal match against Morocco on Friday.

The match, which took place on Saturday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, marked the end of the group stage for both teams.

Despite the draw, Taifa Stars finished their Group B campaign undefeated with three wins and one draw, securing 10 points to top their group.

“We thank God for qualifying for the quarter-finals. We entered the match already qualified. We were seeking for a fourth win but ended with a draw. The draw has taught us a valuable lesson for us for the future,” Suleiman commented.

He explained they will work on the lessons they have learnt and work on them in training ground especially in the attacking line.

“I consider the draw a satisfactory result for us. Our team is improving and we are confident in its future. We will try to ensure that our attacking line will be better moving forward,” he added.

Though the match posed challenges against a defensively organised team, Taifa Stars managed to create scoring opportunities, albeit without finding the back of the net.

He acknowledged the need to re-evaluate their strategy to enhance goal-scoring in the quarterfinals and maintained that the draw would not hinder their confidence.

On the other hand, Central African Republic Coach Sebastien Ngato praised his players for securing a point against Taifa Stars.

“I thank our players for defending our honour and securing a point in the tournament. We played against a team that was at home and in front of its fans and we managed to draw,” he said.

Despite their early exit from the tournament, Ngato highlighted that this year has been historic for CAR football, as both the under-17 and under-20 teams reached the finals while participating in this tournament.

He emphasised the importance of patience, particularly with a young squad.

“When we left our country to participate, we aimed to discover the tournament and indeed we gained valuable experience. We will work on strengthening our offensive side and finishing our attacks better. This is a young team and it is growing,” Ngato noted.

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“We will continue to work and learn from our experiences. Our tactical approach varied across three matches and we made efforts to play offensively against Tanzania. Football is unpredictable and young teams must keep learning.”

Meanwhile, Taifa Stars midfielder, Feisal Salum, who was named “Man of the Match” for the second consecutive time has urged his team to improve their finishing as they prepare to face Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Speaking after the goalless draw against the Central African Republic (CAR) on Saturday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Salum expressed disappointment that the team did not secure a fourth consecutive win.

He underscored the need for improved finishing as the team prepares to face Morocco in the quarterfinals at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Friday. Salum noted that despite topping the group and finishing the stage unbeaten, he felt a sense of disappointment at not securing a fourth consecutive win.

“Thank God for these results and for being crowned Man of the Match once again. We finished the group stage of the tournament well and now we are focusing on the quarter-finals,” Salum stated in a postmatch interview.

He underlined the need to improve in front of goal.

“We are not satisfied with the draw against the Central African Republic because we did not win. We had chances to score, but we were unable to convert them into goals.”

Looking ahead, Salum underscored the importance of preparation and strategy for the upcoming quarter-final match.

“We are looking forward to the quarterfinal and are determined to address the issues we encountered in this draw, particularly our finishing. We will develop a strategy to ensure victory in the next match.”

Tanzania’s strong performance in the tournament is highlighted not only by Salum’s achievements but also by the contributions of other players.

Notably, Mudathir Yahya received the “Man of the Match” award in the match against Mauritania, while Clement Mzize claimed the honour in the game against Madagascar.