Tanzania U-23’s dream of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-23 tournament has come to an end, despite securing a 3-1 victory over Kenya’s Emerging Stars in the second leg played today at Uhuru Stadium.
In a fiercely contested match, Yanga striker Selemani Mwalimu, who was added to the squad yesterday to provide additional firepower, was the star of the show after scoring twice, while Tanzania’s third goal was scored by Sheikhan Khamis.
The victory gave Tanzanian fans at the stadium hope that their team could overturn the first-leg result. However, the effort was not enough to secure Tanzania a place in the next round.
Tanzania were eliminated after Kenya won 5-4 on aggregate across the two legs. In the first leg in Kenya, the hosts secured a 4-1 victory, leaving Tanzania with a difficult task heading into the return fixture.
Kenya’s goal in today’s match was another blow for Tanzania, as it meant the young Tanzanians needed to score even more goals to overturn the aggregate score.
Despite showing fighting spirit until the final minutes, Tanzania U-23 have been forced to say goodbye to their hopes of qualifying for the AFCON tournament.
