The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Majuto Omary
26 November 2011
Dar es Salaam — A first half goal by Olivier Kalekezi is all Rwanda’s Amavudi needed to silence hosts Kilimanjaro Stars in a Group A match of the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup at the National Stadium yesterday.
Kelekezi beat an offside trick by the hosts’ defenders to easily beat goalie Juma Kaseja with a close range shot in the 23rd minute and spoil the day for the home fans.
The disappointing defeat means Boniface Mkwasa’s team must win their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and Djibouti if they are to make it into the next stage of the regional tournament.
Yesterday’s match started at a cracking pace with both teams pressing upfront relentlessly right from the start in search of an early goal.
The hosts, needing a win so as underline their quest to retain the title, almost broke the deadlock seconds into the match when Mbwana Samatta swiftly latched onto a Nurdin Bakari pass near the box, only to see his effort go wide.
Rwanda, playing a free-flow football, responded immediately and went close two times in the second and minutes.
Kilimanjaro Stars survived another scare in the third minute when goalie Kaseja was forced to dive full length to clear a sizzling effort by Olivier Kalekezi.
A few seconds later, Kaseja whio had a busy afternoon, denied the Amavubi a goal when he bravely parried off a close range strike by Meddie Kagere for an abortive corner.
Kili Stars regained their rhythm after a quarter an hour and briefly dominated the midfield through Nurdin Bakari, Haruna Moshi and Ramadhan Chombo.
The hosts, enjoying a friendly support, created a number of chances in the first half, but a combination of inept finishing and poor coordination upfront cost them dearly.
Coach Mkwasa blamed the defeat on lack of concentration, on the part of his defenders, saying they failed to contain the marauding Amavubi strikers.
“My defenders were not good enough today, but I am sure we’ll win our next two matches and sail through,” he said.
Line-ups:
Kili Stars- Juma Kaseja, Shomari Kapombwe, Ibrahim Mwaipopo/Juma Jabu, Said Morad, Juma Nyoso, Shaaban Nditi, Mrisho Ngasa, Nurdin Bakari, Mbwana Samatta/Mussa Mgosi, Haruna Moshi/Thomas Ulimwengu and Ramadhan Chombo
Rwanda- Jean Claude Ndori, Albert Ngabo, Charles Tibingana, Ismail Nshutiyamagara, Eric Gasana, Jean Baptist Mugiraneza, Andrew Buteera, Meddie Kagere, FredericNdaka, Olivier Kalekezi and Haruna Niyonzim
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