Heroes, Hippos in epic battle
DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA’S Ngorongoro Heroes will meet Uganda Hippos in the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – CECAFA qualifiers match at KMC Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.
A victory for Tanzania will not only secure a spot in the tournament finals, but also pave the way for qualification to the 2025 AFCON finals, as the two finalists will represent the CECAFA zone in the Under-20 AFCON finals scheduled for next year, with the host country yet to be confirmed.
During a pre-match briefing on Thursday, Ngorongoro Heroes Head Coach, Boniface Mkwasa expressed confidence in his team’s abilities against Uganda but acknowledged that it will be a challenging encounter.
“We have built a strong team after a shaky start and we are now ready to face them (Uganda) who are equally a good side and we respect them. “This semi-final is like a final, because picking good result against them will guarantee us an opportunity to represent Tanzania and CECAFA in next year’s Under-20 AFCON finals,” he said.
On his part, Uganda Under-20 National Team Trainer, Mathias Lule, also reiterated that it is not just a semi-final match but rather a qualifying game for the AFCON finals.
ALSO READ: Stars optimistic despite loss
“To our side, this game means a lot because we cannot go to AFCON without winning this game as such, we will do what it takes to get good results…we are facing the home team but we will put that aside to produce a win,” he said.
Commenting on injuries to his squad, he said two players will miss the game; one due to malaria and the other has ankle injury, but the rest are in good shape, ready to battle for success.
Ngorongoro Heroes finished second in Group A of the qualifiers, courtesy of nine points accumulated after winning three fixtures and succumbing to one defeat. They scored 12 goals and conceded twice, tactically meaning that they were ruthless in offensive in their four Group A encounters and at the same time, they showcased quality defensive play.
For Uganda, they topped Group B, courtesy of seven points generated from two wins and one draw while scoring nine goals and conceding three goals. However, Ngorongoro Heroes made a U-turn after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat from Kenya in their inaugural match and this was a wakeup call for them as they went on to win all three remaining group A games.
Following the upset from Kenya, they gathered momentum and recorded a massive 7-0 victory over Djibouti in their second fixture of the qualifiers. In their third clash against Sudan, they produced a narrow 1-0 success thanks to Shekhan Khamis who sourced the solitary goal in the second half of the game.
To wind up their Group A fixtures, Tanzania disappointed Rwanda 3-0 and this time, Kondo bagged a brace while Zidane Sereri hunted one goal to help their side step into the last four of the qualifiers.
