Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
2 December 2011
MAINLAND soccer team, Kilimanjaro Stars, faces the ultimate challenge in its bid to qualify for the quarterfinals of the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup as it meets Zimbabwe in its last match of the group A at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.
Kilimanjaro Stars, the tournament’s defending champions, need nothing short of victory to assure itself of a place in the last eight’s stage, apart from staying on course for successful title retention.
The home side kicked off its campaign with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Rwanda “Amavubi” on Saturday last week before bouncing back with a 3-0 thrashing of Djibouti three days later, to slightly lower the temper of the demanding home fans.
Stars disappointed many of its fans during the defeat at the hands of Amavubi, with the majority of them eventually believing the former can hardly hold its own against more competent opponents, and the fans ended jeering Stars’ players after the final whistle.
The win over the relatively weaker Djibouti, however, ensured fans do not lose hope on Stars’ chances to defend the trophy. Stars will need to put a much more solid performance against the youthful side Zimbabweans today, should the former wish to confidently stroll to the quarterfinals.
Saturday’s game, though, is not expected to be plain sailing for Stars, as Zimbabwe has proved to have what it takes to torment opponents when it mattered the most.
Zimbabwe, which is one of the two guest sides in the tournament, started impressively after cruising to a 2-0 win over Djibouti on Monday but then lost by the same margin to Amavubi a day later to see its attempt to be a successful guest team encounters an unexpected hitch.
With Zimbabwe also fighting for a place in the quarterfinals, the match stands to be an action packed affair considering Stars will hardly want to disappoint its fans by losing a second match.
Zimbabwe’s muscular striker, Donald Ngoma, and midfielder, Joel Ngodzo, who were among the players that impressed during the win against Djibouti, are expected to be the biggest threat to Stars’ defence, which is highly expected to be led by the no nonsense centre back, Juma Nyoso.
Stars’ coaching panel has always been optimistic about the team’s ability to defend the title and today’s match will provide a clear picture on the team’s and coaches’ ability to deliver the expected success.
Head coach Charles Boniface Mkwasa pointed out that a minor defensive mistake proved costly to Stars during the opening match against Amavubi but, despite the defence having shown slight improvement in the second match against Djibouti, the real test will certainly come in the form of uncompromising Zimbabwe forwards.
Stars will definitely be under pressure to live up to the fans’ expectations and that will likely increase the workload on players. Zimbabwe’s defeat to Amavubi, all in all, proves the former are beatable and Stars are expected to take inspiration from the Amavubi feat in an effort to avoid an early exit.
In Friday’s matches Amavubi whitewashed Djibouti 5-2 in their last group A’s encounter to finish top of the group with maximum nine points.
In group C Malawi also joined Rwanda into the quarterfinals of the tournament despite being held to a 1-1 draw by ten man Ethiopia in the second match of the day yesterday after reaching five points, while Ethiopia on two points are out of the race.
Meanwhile, Zanzibar Heroes sneaked into the quarterfinals on the basis of being the best losers in group B as they have four points. Friday 1-1 draw between Malawi and Ethiopia was a blessing in disguise for the islanders because it meant whatever results in Saturday’s encounter between Kenya and Sudan will not affect Zanzibar’s chance of qualifying.
Sudan has slim chance to secure the best loser opportunity from group C as the team has
two points and anything less than a win in the team’s last match against Kenya on Saturday will seal Sudan’s exit from the event. Kenya are on three points and a draw will be enough for them to go into quarterfinals as second winner of group C.
AllAfrica – All the Time