CECAFA U-20 Women's Championship
Uganda, Ethiopia clash to decide regional CECAFA Women’s U-20 champions
The final games of the 2021 CECAFA Women’s U-20 Championship will take place on November 9th at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru in Uganda.
With nine games already played and 52 goals scored, the last match of the competition between Uganda and Ethiopia will decide which team will win the trophy. But before the deciding match, Burundi will face Eritrea, while Djibouti battle Tanzania.
Uganda and Ethiopia are the only unbeaten teams with 12 points each, although Uganda has a superior goal difference.
On Saturday Ethiopia briefly reclaimed top spot on the log after a 1-0 win against Burundi. Ariet Odong netted the lone goal after 58 minutes after a good cross by Naredos Getenet.
“I am happy that my players have worked hard to win again and we need to work hard and also win our last game against Uganda,” said Ethiopia’s head coach Firew Hailegebral after the match.
Eritrea also registered their first win in the competition after overcoming Djibouti 2-0 in the second match. Defender Rim Gezae Yemane and forward Diana Estifanos Teklemichael netted second half goals for Eritrea. “We shall work hard to try and get another in our last match against Burundi,” said Eritrea’s head coach Jemal Ibrahim Suleman.
The last game saw Uganda pip arch-rivals Tanzania 1-0 in a tough encounter. Skipper Fauzia Najjemba netted a 72nd penalty to make sure Uganda maintained it’s unbeaten run.
Tanzania’s Christer John Bahera fouled Shamirah Nalugya in the box and the referee pointed for a penalty. Najjemba made no mistake from the spot slotting the ball past Tanzanian goalkeeper Husna Zuberi Mtunda.
Tanzania’s Aisha Elias Masaka and Aisha Juma Mnunka tried to push forward and get the goals, but the Ugandan defenders stood firm.
“I am happy that once again we have registered another win against a strong Tanzanian side. We need to keep working hard and make sure we beat Ethiopia in the last match to be able to win the trophy,” said Uganda’s head coach Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi.
Bakari Shime, the Tanzanian coach said that although his team lost, this tournament is helping the team prepare better ahead of the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup qualifiers. “There are many lessons we are learning by playing as many games as possible,” said Shime.
Table standing
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Uganda 4 4 0 0 21 1 20 12
Ethiopia 4 4 0 0 15 1 14 12
Tanzania 4 2 0 2 5 5 0 6
Burundi 4 1 0 3 9 9 0 3
Eritrea 4 1 0 3 2 8 -6 3
Djibouti 4 0 0 4 0 28 -28 0