TANZANIA: AFTER suffering defeats in their second fixtures of the CECAFA Dar Port Kagame Cup, Tanzania Mainland envoys, Coastal Union and Singida Black Stars coaches are optimistic about bouncing back strongly.
Coastal Union suffered a 2-0 defeat from JKU in an early kick- off at KMC Complex on Friday, while Singida Black Stars suf- fered a 3-1 upset from Uganda’s SC Villa at Azam Complex on the same day.
For Singida Black Stars, it was their second upset in a row following a 1-0 loss in their opening fixture of the tournament from Rwanda’s APR.
In his post-match interview, Coastal Union coach, David Ouma, remarked that there is no need for them to panic as they are still in the process of building a competitive team.
“60 per cent of the players in my squad are new, while 40 per cent are the ones who have stayed put.
As such, I am searching for a team balance, and the only way to analyse each player is through this tournament. “We are going to sort out the challenges that surfaced to be much better in our next fixture, which we need to win,” Ouma said.
On his part, JKU trainer, Salum Haji gave credit to his players, saying they played in accor- dance with the game plan and are looking forward to their next encounter versus Dekadaha.
“I think our performance was not good in comparison with the first match, but the most important thing is the victory…I think the readiness of my players to win today’s game orchestrated the triumph,” he said.
On the other hand, Singida Black Stars coach, Patrick Aussems, reacted that he was not pleased with the result but rather he was satisfied with the performance of his players.
“We had a good first half before conceding a beautiful goal in additional time…the first 15 minutes of the second half were not good as we conceded two goals and thereafter, we came back into the match.
“I think our difference with other teams is that we started training last week while our colleagues have had at least two to three weeks of training and playing friendly matches, but we will get better,” said Aussems.
SC Villa coach, Stojanovic Dusan, hailed his players for the good job well done, saying they played by adhering to the instructions, and he is proud of them.
Tomorrow, eight teams will be in action searching for victories.
Also read: Former players disappointed as Dar giants withdraw from Kagame Cup
The first clash will witness SC Villa hosting APR, and later, Singida Black Stars will face Al Merreikh, both games unfolding at KMC Complex.
At Azam Complex, Coastal Union will take on Al Merreikh, while JKU will go head-to-head versus Dekadaha.
