Tanzania retain regional Cecafa Women’s Challenge Cup

Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Queens have retained the regional Cecafa Women’s Challenge Cup.

The Queens defeated Ethiopia 4-1 in their last round-robin match played on Friday at the Stade de Kigali in Rwanda to top the table from Uganda on goal difference.

“We have watched a very competitive tournament where the winner has been known on the last day,” Nicholas Musonye, the Secretary general of the Council for East and Central African Football Associations told BBC Sport.

“Our women have shown improvement and the onus remains on other member nations to prepare teams for women’s football,” he added.

The Queens, who finished with nine goals scored and four conceded, lost the opening match of the tournament to hosts Rwanda 1-0 before drawing 1-1 with Kenya’s Harambee Starlets.

They went on to defeat Uganda 4-1 and also humbled Ethiopia by the same margin.

“We are happy to be taking this trophy back home,” said Kilimanjaro Queens’ senior player Stumai Abdallah Athumani, who netted one of the goals in their last game.

Uganda finished second, just behind Tanzania, due to a poorer goal difference having scored six and conceded seven goals.

Ethiopia with six points came third, while Kenya – who beat hosts Rwanda in the last game 2-0 on Friday – settled for fourth place.

Rwanda ended bottom of the standings.

The tournament was partly funded by football’s world governing body, Fifa.