U-23 AFCON 2027 QUALIFIERS: Tanzania hunt Kenya comeback

**DAR ES SALAAM: **NATIONAL U-23 football team face a massive test at Uhuru Stadium today as they attempt to overturn a 4-1 first-leg defeat to Kenya and keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alive.

The Under-23s arrive at the return leg three goals behind, but head coach Ahmad Ally insists his players have not allowed the heavy defeat in Nairobi to destroy their belief. Instead, he says the result has become a motivation for Tanzania to fight harder in front of their home supporters.

“I believe in succeeding. We have put all our focus and energy into today’s match to make sure that the task ahead of us is accomplished,” Ally said.

He added that the first-leg result had been taken as a challenge to increase our morale to fight. Tanzania’s first-leg performance left Ally particularly concerned about the team’s organisation without the ball. Kenya scored four times after repeatedly exploiting moments when Tanzania lost possession and failed to recover their defensive shape.

“We were not good in our organisation, especially off the ball,” Ally admitted after the first leg. “We felt that we needed to organise ourselves better.” The coach said the goals Tanzania conceded were largely connected to poor handling of transition moments after possession was lost. “When we lost possession, we did not manage those moments well,” he explained.

Ally believes his players have used the days between the two matches to address those problems. He explained that the technical team had also been working on the balance of the squad after assessing the players available for the return leg.

“There could be two players that we may miss, those who played in the last game, because Vedastus Masinde had a problem and Twalib Nuru as well,” Ally said.

“So we have tried to see how we can replace them in those positions and how the squad will be so that we can have balance in every area.” For Tanzania, however, the equation is brutally simple.

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After losing 4-1 in Nairobi, they need a victory by at least three goals to bring the tie level. A 3-0 victory would make the aggregate score 4-4, while a 4-0 victory would give Tanzania a 5-4 aggregate lead. If Kenya score, Tanzania would need to score even more. Kenya, meanwhile, are fully aware of what awaits them.

Head coach Antony Kimani has warned his players not to approach the return leg as though the tie has already been won. Despite commanding a 4-1 advantage, he knows Tanzania will have the home crowd behind them and will be expected to play with greater intensity. “We have tried to fine-tune their mindset,” Kimani said.

“We have made them understand it is not going to be a walk in the park against Tanzania, who will be playing at home, will up the tempo a little bit, and will take the pressure a notch higher.” Kimani has also insisted that his players must prepare for every possible scenario rather than become comfortable because of their three-goal advantage.

The Kenyan coach clearly expects Tanzania to attack with greater urgency, but he also believes his team have the quality to withstand that pressure. “We now have a clear understanding of who we are up against; a very good, formidable side, with lots of quality, so we will have to be at our best to protect our lead, and hopefully extend it.”

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