The Sunday Mail
Tanzania will play on the counter attack as they seek to sneak in a crucial away goal that would complicate life for the Warriors in today’s 2015 Afcon preliminary round qualifier. Judging by the Taifa Stars’ drills during Friday afternoon’s training session, which was also spied on by Warriors’ technical members Mkuphali Masuku and Gift Muzadzi, it was clear that the Tanzanians expect an onslaught and intend to hit the hosts with break-away moves.
The visitors carry a slender 1-0 lead courtesy of a John Bocco strike in the first leg and if they get a goal, the Warriors will be required to score at least three, hence their coach Maart Nooij’s emphasis on that important away goal.
The Dutch mentor was quoted in the Tanzanian media yesterday acknowledging the mammoth task on his hands, but he was adamant the Taifa Stars would salvage something.
“It is definitely a daunting task, but I always believe nothing is impossible. If we can manage to score another early goal then we will have the advantage.
“I have urged the players to give 100 percent effort as it is our only opportunity to proceed to the second round and Tanzania being a football-crazy country, where fans love the game a lot, we would not wish to disappoint them,” Nooij was quoted by the Daily News Online.
The Tanzanians are looking to the inspiration of the TP Mazembe midfield duo of Mbwana Samata and Thomas Ulimwengu, who are available for this match having missed the first leg in Dar es Salaam a fortnight ago.
The pair is expected to be the creative hub for the towering Bocco and add stability to a midfield that struggled in the first leg.
The Taifa Stars beat Malawi 1-0 in a friendly match played in Dar es Salaam during the week in a game their technical staff noted some improvement in the centre of the park.
Assistant coach Salum Mayanga was quoted in the Tanzanian Press saluting the midfield trio of Shomavi Kapombe, Erasto Nyoni and Simon Msuva, although the Malawians blamed poor officiating for that loss.
The Taifa Stars tried all sorts of devious tricks in the run-up to today’s decisive match as they attempt to ambush and knock the Warriors out.
They sneaked into the country on Thursday when everyone expected them a day later and opted to train at Heritage School in Borrowdale Brooke on Friday afternoon instead of Gwanzura where they were supposed to hold their first training session.
The seemingly no-nonsense Nooij has been dodging the local media and also refused to entertain any questions from this paper on Friday.
A Tanzanian journalist who is part of the travelling party, however, revealed that back in Dar es Salaam, there are serious doubts about the Taifa Stars’ chances of progressing.
“Back home most of the fans do not expect the team to achieve something meaningful here. They know the 1-0 lead we carry is so slim it can be easily wiped out by the Warriors.
“The coaches are, however, impressed with the way our midfield has improved, especially when we beat Malawi 1-0 during the midweek international friendly,” said the football writer.
This is the first time that the Taifa Stars are facing the Warriors in Harare in an Afcon qualifier and a look at their away history shows a team that struggles beyond its borders.
Ranked 37th in Africa, 11 places behind Zimbabwe, Tanzania has lost 26 times in the 38 away matches they have played in the Afcon history.
They have not won away from home in their last eight World Cup and Afcon qualifiers and their scoring rate stands at less than a goal per match when they play beyond their borders.
