The National U-20 soccer team ‘The Tanzanite’ will jet off to South Africa on Wednesday ready for their return leg match of FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup qualifier against hosts ‘Basetsana’ this weekend.
ACTING General Secretary of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Boniface Wambura (second left) presents the national flag to the national U-20 women soccer team ‘Tanzanite’ captain Fatuma Issa in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
The national women’s youth team enjoyed a brilliant start to their FIFA U20 World Cup as they produced a mesmerizing performance to knock out Zimbabwe with a massive 15-1 win in the first round match.
But, any hopes of smooth ride to the world youth finals, were checked with a shocking 4-1 defeat at the hands of South Africa in the second-round first-leg qualifier at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam a week ago.
Two first half goals from Shiwe Nogwanya and another two from Mosili Makhoali in the second half gave the South Africans a well-deserved first leg victory.
The two countries are scheduled to meet in a return match at Dobsonville Stadium on Saturday, with two spots up for grabs on the continent for the 2014 edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup to be staged in Canada from 5-24 August.
Rogasian Kaijage’s side faces a tall order to offset the 4-1 deficit but he and his squad remained confident that anything positive could happen in the away field.
Tanzanite will have to score five clear goals to sail through into the next round of the qualifiers.
The win at the National Stadium pushed close ‘Basetsana’ to the third and final round of the continental qualifiers, which will be played in January and in the campaign of bidding for one of the two spots to represent the continent in the next year’s showpiece to be staged in Canada from August 5-24.
Source Tanzania Daily News
