Tanzania – Interim head coach Hemedi Suleiman also known as Morocco, has provided insights into Taifa Stars’ draw against Zambia in their second group game of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
Initially appearing poised for their first-ever AFCON victory after Simon Msuva gave them the lead in the 11th minute and Zambia went down to ten men just before the break, Tanzania conceded a goal in the 88th minute, resulting in dropped points once again.
Roderick Kabwe, the captain of Chipolopolo, received a red card in the 44th minute for a second bookable offense following a rough challenge on his Tanzanian counterpart, Mbwana Samatta. Despite the disadvantage, Patson Daka’s late header secured a point for the 2012 AFCON champions.
Suleiman acknowledged Zambia’s determination to secure a result from the game but also attributed the dropped points to his team’s complacency in the closing stages of the match, denying them a historic win that would have come on the eighth attempt.
“I was very much aware of Zambia. We studied and analyzed them thoroughly. However, in football, teams with ten players are often more dangerous. Lack of concentration cost us in the last minute,” remarked Hemedi.
No win and ever-bottom of table for Tanzania at AFCON finals
Taifa Stars have played eight matches at the continental showpiece. Of the eight, they have managed two draws (in 1980 and 2023) and lost a whopping six. A win is still a mirage.
In both editions, 1980 and 2019, the East African nation finished bottom of the group. The 1980 edition, hosted and won by Nigeria, had only eight participants placed in two groups.
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Tanzania was in Group A against the hosts, Egypt, and Ivory Coast. It lost 3-1 against Nigeria in the opener and lost 2-1 to Egypt before pulling off a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast as they crashed out as the bottom-placed team.
In the 2023 edition, they lost their opener against Morocco 3-0 and were forced to a 1-1 draw by Zambia in their second game. They are bottom of Group F and face DR Congo in their final group game on Wednesday.
