‘Ghana friendly was good test’

DAR ES SALAAM: TWIGA Stars Head Coach Bakari Shime believes Tanzania’s goalless draw against Ghana provided the ideal test ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), saying the match showed where his side stands before the tournament begins.

Tanzania held Ghana in an international friendly as part of their preparations for the finals, with Shime describing the encounter as an important measure of his team’s readiness.

“The match against Ghana was a good test to see where we are and what we need to improve before the tournament,” said Shime.

He said Ghana’s approach reflected the level of opposition Tanzania should expect in Morocco.

“From the first minute they pressed us deep into our own half. They had an advantage in pace and physical strength, but we prepared for that. We closed the spaces well and prevented them from creating clear scoring chances.” Shime said his side responded well after making tactical adjustments during the match.

“We changed our formation to deal with their pressing and it worked. After that we created several scoring chances, but we did not make the most of them.” Despite being satisfied with the team’s organisation, the coach said Tanzania would benefit from playing more high-level international friendlies.

“Matches like this help us understand what we still need to improve before facing teams at WAFCON. The more competitive matches we play, the better prepared we will be.” Tanzania have been drawn in Group B at the WAFCON finals alongside defending champions South Africa, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.

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Twiga Stars open their campaign against Burkina Faso on Monday. Twiga Stars captain Opa Clement noted the goalless draw against Ghana reflects the progress Tanzania have made since the two sides last met. Tanzania lost 4-1 to Ghana in July last year, but Clement believes the latest result shows the team’s improvement ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

“This result is a relief for us because it shows how much we have improved since we last played Ghana,” said Opa. “We lost 4-1 in our previous meeting, but this time we kept a clean sheet. That means a lot to us and gives us confidence going into the tournament.” The captain said the friendly also highlighted areas the team still needs to work on before the finals.

Clement noted that Tanzania had addressed one of the main weaknesses from the previous meeting with Ghana. “In the last match we conceded most of our goals from set-pieces, including corners and a penalty. This time we defended those situations much better, and that is positive for us.