Tanzania’s U20 national football team, the Ngorongoro Heroes, has been eliminated from the ongoing Africa U20 Cup of Nations (AFCON U20), currently taking place at the Canal Suez Stadium in Egypt.
The team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Zambia in their third group stage match, marking their third consecutive loss in the tournament. Earlier defeats came against South Africa and Sierra Leone.
Head coach Charles Boniface Mkwasa attributed the team’s poor performance to an underwhelming attacking line, which he said failed to deliver when it mattered most.
He also emphasized the lack of adequate preparation through international friendlies as a contributing factor.
“We’ve struggled in the final third, and the absence of high-level international friendlies has clearly affected our performance. It’s also been frustrating dealing with inconsistent officiating we’ve had scoring opportunities, but the referees haven’t been fair. Countries invest a lot in preparation with the hope of achieving good results,” Mkwasa stated.
Although already out of contention, Tanzania will face tournament hosts Egypt on May 9 in their final group match, aiming to end their campaign with a strong performance.
