Warn Amavubi to watch out

Results
 
Somalia 1  Tanzania  0
 
Uganda  0  Zanzibar  0 

KAMPALA - Tanzania’s campaign got off to a bad note after the Kilimanjaro Stars were beaten by minnows Somalia 1-0 at Nakivubo Stadium thanks to a 14 minute Cisse Abshir goal.

Kilimanjaro Stars were tipped to find the going easy against Somalia, a match that should steady them for the more formidable opposition from Uganda Cranes.

The scale is tilted against Somalia and Zanzibar, although from their first outings on Thursday, they can only be underrated at one’s own peril. Zanzibar beat Somali 2-0.

The Marcio Maximo lads are coming into the tournament fresh from booking a ticket to the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, next month and are highly regarded as among the favourites to win the two week tournament.

Tanzania knocked out Cecafa powerhouses Sudan, Uganda and Kenya to book a place in the inaugural CHAN finals.

In the second match of the day, hosts Uganda were held to 0-0 draw by Zanzibar.   

After falling 2-0 to Zanzibar in their opening game, Somalia have warned the Amavubi Stars that they will not be an easy nut to crack.

The two sides clash on Monday in a group A game at Nakivubo stadium that Rwanda badly need to win to brighten their chances of making it to the later stages of this year’s Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.

"We are going to play a different ball game. Rwanda is in for a big surprise,” Somalia’s team manager Mohamed Abdi Farah told Times Sport yesterday.

The team manager reasoned that although they have never won the regional title, they feel the trophy is still in their reach this time round.

Farah said although the Rwanda team is not bad, Somalia is more than hungry to get a win against them.

"Our players think this is the time to pick our first victory in the tournament,” said a seemingly confident Farah. However, Rwanda’s team manager Jean Bazigangango said they are not shaken by Somalia.

"We have corrected our mistakes and want to treat every game like a final now,” said the team manager. He said although they don’t underrate any team, Somalia should not be able to give them a lot of trouble.

Rwanda’s Croatian tactician Branko Tucak told Times Sport that he has had good pep-talk with his strikers and hopes that they will easily put-away the chances they get in front of goal in their next games.

Strikers Kamana Bokota Labama and Jean Lomami proved a wasteful pair in the opening game against Uganda.

"We need to take control of the games from the onset and avoid silly mistakes at the back,” warned Tucak.

Meanwhile, Cecafa President Leodegar Tenga has praised all member countries for their continued effort in trying to improve the standard of the game.

"The level of the tournament is greatly improving and this clearly shows that members in the Cecafa region are busy working hard to improve the game of football,” Tenga told Times Sport.

The GTV sponsored tournament will climax on January 13 with the finals at Mandela national stadium, Namboole.

The winners will pocket US$300,000, runner-up US$20,000 and the third placed US$10,000.

Ends