After pulled first wins in their penultimate matches of the ongoing CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup matches in Kenya, Mainland and Zambia are jointly leading Group B to put themselves in a better position to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Taifa Stars’ Coach, Kim Poulsen
Kilimanjaro Stars grabbed their first win of the event over the weekend after struggling to beat minnows Somalia 1-0 at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi on Sunday with a superb goal by Haroun Chanongo in the 57th minute while Chipolopolo edged Burundi by the same margin in the second match of the day at the same venue.
The two team now top Group B with each having four points after the win and a 1-1 draw when they meet in their opening match.
Burundi are third with three points after their 2-0 victory over Somalia who are at the bottom of the group without a point. Ocean Stars defied all odds as they frustrated every effort by Kili Stars who beat them 7-0 in Kampala, Uganda last year.
They played their hearts out to end the first half in a barren draw, much to the chagrin of Kili Stars and their supporters. The result leaves Kim Poulsen’s lads with a difficult task ahead when they take on Burundi in the last Group B match on Wednesday to ensure they grab a ticket to the quarter-finals as they need only a draw to go through, although a win will be much better.
The Dane has a major boost to his striking force following the arrival of ace strikers Mbwana Samatta and Thomas Ulimwengu in Nairobi on Sunday after serving their club, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the CAF Confederation Cup final won by Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien 3-2 on aggregate on Saturday.
Burundi might not be an easy task for Kili Stars as they might also want to fight for a ticket to the quarter-finals by winning the match. Somalia are automatically out of the event and their last match against Zambia is merely a formality as a victory over the former African champions will be a miracle, although in football anything can happen.
Ocean Stars proved against Kili Stars that they are not pushovers but a hard nut to crack so the outcome of their match against Chipolopolo is quite unpredictable.
Twelve teams are featuring in the annual event running under the aegis of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA). They are Burundi, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania Mainland, Uganda, Somalia, Zambia, Zanzibar and Rwanda.
Source Tanzania Daily News
