Tanzania book semi-final place in Africa Cup of Nations U-20 qualifiers

Hosts Tanzania are the third team to book a place in the semi-finals at the on-going TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA Qualifiers.

Going into the Group A match against Rwanda in need of a win, Tanzania made no mistake stopping their opponents 3-0 in a match played at the Azam Complex on Sunday.

Zidane Sereri gave the home side the lead after only 3 minutes with a well-timed diving header to beat Rwanda’s goalkeeper Fils Francois Habineza.

Rwanda tried to settle and fight back, but their attack of Erirone Yangiriyeneza and Jesus Paul Sindi failed to break through the Tanzanian defending line.

After recess substitute Sabri Kondo netted a brace for the home side to ensure they went top of the group and automatically book a place in the semi-finals.

Charles Boniface Mkwasa, the Tanzania coach was a happy man after the final whistle. “Now I can sleep because I was under a lot of pressure before this match. The boys have played well and we need to prepare for the next stage well enough,” he added.

In an earlier Group A match Kenya maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament with a 4-0 victory against Djibouti. Kelvin Wangaya scored a brace, while Hassan Kitsao and Lawrence Okoth also had their names on the score sheet.

The win sent Kenya to 7 points as they now await the last important match against Sudan (6 points) on Tuesday to decide which team makes it to the last four. Rwanda who are yet to score a goal in the tournament will face Djibouti in their last Group match on Tuesday. Uganda and Burundi are the other teams that have already made it to the semi-final stage.

The best two teams will qualify to represent the Zone at the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be played next year.