Pitted with Nigeria, Egypt and Chad, it surely looked like a mountain to climb for the men from Tanzania who held Egypt for long spells in their first group game only to capitulate in the last fifteen minutes.
Egypt hit the Taifa Stars for three in the last quarter of the game to go top of Group G on goals difference ahead of Nigeria who beat Chad 2-0 in Kaduna.
The next set of games will definitely be dicey for both sides as a win for Nigeria will see them edge ahead while it might just be El-Dorado for Tanzania. This points to the fact that the Taifa Stars will be fired up for the Nigeria clash.
It hasn’t been exactly a smooth ride for Tanzanian football of late as they have been struggling on the continent.
Tanzania, like Nigeria, are going through a rebuilding process which only makes the clash much more dicey. Stephen Keshi was relieved off his post as coach of the Super Eagles due to contractual issues while Dutch coach Matt Nooij was fired after a string of bad results which included a heavy loss to rivals Uganda.
It got so bad Nooij needed police escorts to leave the stadium after fans went ballistic asking for his sack which eventually came. Losing 3-0 to Uganda in the Chan qualifiers was too much a pill for the Tanzania Football Federation to swallow.
Snippets
Group G standings
Egypt P1 W1 D0 L0 GF3 GA0 GD+3 PTS3
Nigeria P1 W1 D0 L0 GF2 GA0 GD+2 PTS3
Chad P1 W0 D0 L1 GF0 GA2 GD-2 PTS0
Tanzania P1 W0 D0 L1 GF0 GA2 GD-3 PTS0
Tanzania aren't your quintessential African football power house, ranked 139th in the world, they are 82 places below Nigeria who lie 57th.
Despite the seemingly huge gap by numbers, football has defied such logic and it’s actually going to be a tasking day at the office for the Super Eagles when they meet on September 4th.
New Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh will step out for his first major competitive games against the Taifa Stars who also appointed Boniface Charles Mkwasa to charge of the team.
It will surely be a baptism of sorts for both coaches who would want to start their respective jobs on a positive note
Tanzania is a football mad country and fans are always passionate in their support for the national teams and their clubs sides as they have one of the fiercest derbies in Africa.
Yanga Football Club and Simba are unarguably the two biggest clubs in the East African country and they do draw crowds of almost an average of 50,000 for every game between the two sides.
Tanzania don’t have high profile players like Nigeria does but that doesn’t mean they don’t have players that can hurt the Super Eagles on match day.
Mbwana Samatta is the name on everyone’s lips from Dar Es Salaam to Arusha. The TP Mazembe striker is the poster boy of Tanzania football and Tanzanian fans will be counting on him do clip the Eagles wings on September 4th.
Not the tallest of strikers, he makes up with tremendous pace and his work ethic is excellent. He has scored some excellent goals for Mazembe and Mkwasa will hop he turns up on match day.
Thomas Ulimwengu, team mates with Samatta at TP Mazembe is another player Sunday Oliseh must keep an eye on. The lanky attack minded midfielder comes with a bag full of tricks and is one of the leaders of the Taifa Stars.
The 22 year old has established himself in the side and should be one of the first names on the team sheet when thee Super Eagles come calling
Another player to watch out for is midfielder Kalfan Mrishso Ngassa who is an experienced campaigner with the Taifa Stars. The diminutive midfielder is strong in the tackle and can pick a pass as well.
The 26 year old recently signed a four year deal with South African Premier Soccer League side Free State Stars from Tanzanian side Azam. Other players to look out for are Raphael John Bosco, Mwinyi Kazimoto and Erasto Nyoni
A lot is expected from both coaches who are relatively new on the job. Hopefully it won’t be a Kilimanjaro too high for the Eagles to soar above.
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