Tanzania coach relieved by CHAN victory over ‘tough’ Namibia

Tanzania boss Etienne Ndairagije says his side dodged a bullet following their 1-0 win over Namibia at the TOTAL African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon.

The Taifa Stars revived their chances of advancing to the knock-out stages of the competition following Saturday victory over the Brave Warriors.

Ndairagije’s side would have been eliminated from the competition if they suffered a defeat in the Group D match in Limbe but were rescued by a strike by Farid Mussa.

A second-half strike by the midfielder was all the Taifa Stars needed to win the game against Namibia, get their first three points of the tournament and keep alive their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the tournament.

The result means both Zambia and Guinea maintain their places at the top of the group with four points apiece while Taifa Stars retain their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.

Namibia have no points after two matches and have thus been eliminated from the competition because they cannot finish at least second the group even if they win their final match.

Ndairagije admits that despite their victory, they were given a run for their money thanks to the good performance of their opponents during the match,

This win was not an easy one because the Namibian team played good football and the stakes were also high,” the coach of the Tanzania national team, Ndairagijesa, said in the post-match press conference.

“I am happy and proud of my boys for the job well done to get the three points and wait for the last group game against Guinea.”

The Taifa Stars must win their last group match on Wednesday to advance to the last eight of the tournament being held in the Central African country.

Tanzania travel to the Stade de la Réunification in Douala to face Guinea in their last group game.