TANZANIA’S Serengeti Boys boosted their hopes of
qualifying for World Cup finals in India after cruising to a 2-1 win over
Angola in their Group B match at the ongoing U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
final in Brazzaville, Gabon yesterday.
The scoreline at the
Stade de l’Amitie in the Gabon capital did not reflect performance turned in by
Serengeti Boys, who were dominant.
The performance saw
the Tanzanian youngsters carve out a countless of scoring chances especially in
the second half. But in the end a goal in either half by Kelvin Naftal and
Abdul Suleiman, sandwiched by Angola’s equalizing goal, wrapped up a crucial
win for the Boys, who temporarily moved top of the group with four points.
The other teams in
the group, holders Mali and Niger were facing each other later on the day.
Serengeti Boys head
coach Bakari Shime made only one change from his previous starting eleven with
Erick Nkosi replacing Shaaban Ada and his charges were the quickest out their
blocks.
They dominated the
opening exchange, pinning Angola in their own half. The Boys forced two corner
kicks inside the opening five minutes and succeeded to take the lead from the
second corner with Kelvin Naftal, the goal scorer.
A short corner in
the fifth minute gave left full-back Nickson Kibabage chance to whip in a
well-measured cross that found Naftal inside the box and he rose high to
expertly head the ball past Angola custodian, Nsesani Simao and into the back
of the net.
Angola almost drew
the parity two minutes later but Asad Juma came to Boys’ rescue when he
produced a timely block to deny Orlando Secali, who was clear on goal.
Serengeti Boys
continued to boss the proceedings and had two chances from set pieces to try
and double their lead but Juma and Kibabage placed their efforts awkwardly off
target. Angola pulled level after 17 minutes when the Boys defence was caught
napping.
Moises Pedro’s cross
went straight into the back of the net thanks to a lapse in the Tanzanian
team’s defence.
Serengeti Boys
pressed for the second goal as the game progressed but struggled to put their
acts together in the final third and had to settle for a 1-all draw at the
breather despite being the best team on the pitch.
Shime’s lads carved
out some impressive attacking moves on resumption which culminated in a
countless missed chances.
Marauding fullback
Kibabage did a commendable job down the left flank and weighed in a beautiful
cross, nonetheless his ambitious teammate Yohana Mkomola blasted a header wide
from the goal.
Apparently worried
by Tanzania’s attacking play, Angola resorted to a more defensive approach,
committing more players behind the ball and that gave the Boys a headache as
they struggled to find a way through.
Abdul Suleiman
almost grabbed the much-needed second goal in the 56th minute with a powerful
low shot that was kept out by Simao for a futile corner. Ada, then, headed
inches wide from a corner kick before Suleiman unleashed a decent free-kick
from 25 yards out that slightly missed the target.
Boys continued to
enjoy a sustained period of dominance which eventually paid off after Suleiman
slammed home the winner, capping up a fine team move that involved Asad Juma
and Mkomola.
Tanzania were the
dominant force for the remainder of the encounter and were it not for
profligacy Shime’s side could have chalked up a comprehensive scoreline.
Serengeti Boys will
play their final game against Niger on Sunday as they seek to reach the first
ever Under-17 World Cup finals in India. The biennial tournament organised by the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 17 and below, will see
the top four teams qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
Serengeti Boys:
Ramadhani Kabwili, Ally Ng’anzi, Nickson Kibabage, Enrick Nkosi, Dickson Job,
Abdul Suleiman, Asad Juma, Kibwana Shomari, Ally Msen- gi, Yohana Mkomola and
Kelvin Naftal.
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