Samia applauds gallant Stars
TANZANIA: IN a spirited show of support, President Samia Suluhu Hassan took to Instagram to applaud the national soccer team -Taifa Stars, following their impressive 2-1 away victory over Guinea on Tuesday evening.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers match was held at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Côte d’Ivoire, saw Tanzania secure their first Group H win in the ingoing showdown.
In her post, the President wrote: “Congratulations to our youth, the Taifa Stars, for your victory against Guinea in the group stages of the quest for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.
We stand behind you and wish you all the best in this crucial stage.”
The endorsement from the highest office in the land underscores the significance of the triumph and boosts the morale of the national team as they push forward in their AFCON campaign President Samia also pledged 500m/- to the Taifa Stars if they qualify for the AFCON finals in Morocco next year.
On his part, Taifa Stars Interim Coach, Hemedy Suleiman expressed his satisfaction with his young squad following their impressive victory over Guinea in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
After a goalless draw in their opening match against Ethiopia in Dar es Salaam, Taifa Stars demonstrated resilience and tactical acumen in their encounter with Guinea.
Feisal Salum and Mudathir Yahya scored crucial goals in the second half to clinch three valuable points and elevate Tanzania’s standing in Group H.
Coach Suleiman praised his team’s effort, highlighting their ability to rebound from the earlier draw.
“My players worked hard for this result; I am pleased and happy with the team’s performance.
They showed a great mentality, bouncing back stronger after our draw against Ethiopia,” he said.
He also noted that he believes that they will continue doing better in their upcoming encounters.
Winning goal scorer Yahya echoed the coach’s sentiments, expressing pride in the team’s performance despite the challenging nature of the match.
“It was a tough game with a lot of tactical and physical battles, but we managed to secure an important win for the nation,” Yahya stated.
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He also called on Tanzanian football fans to continue their support, promising that “good things are coming.”
As it stands, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) leads the group with six points, followed by Tanzania with four points.
Ethiopia is in third place with a point, while Guinea remains at the bottom without a point.
Looking ahead, Taifa Stars will face DR Congo at Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on October 6th, followed by a return match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on October 14th.
These back-to-back fixtures will be crucial in determining Tanzania’s fate in the qualifiers, with six points potentially being a game-changer.
DRC, who have won both their qualifying matches so far, are in strong form and need just one more win to secure their progression.
They kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Guinea and followed up with a 2-0 win against Ethiopia.
Tanzania’s AFCON history includes appearances in 1980 in Nigeria, 2019 in Egypt and again in 2023 in Ivory Coast.
They will be hoping to improve on their past performances and secure a place in the upcoming finals.
