AFCON: Tanzania quality surprised many in Nigeria defeat – Gamondi

Tanzania national team head coach Miguel Gamondi was left a proud man despite his side suffering defeat in their opening fixture of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco on Tuesday.

The East African nation came up against power house Nigeria and they lost 2-1. The Super Eagles opened their campaign with a hard-earned 2-1 victory over Tanzania, as Ademola Lookman struck the winner barely a minute after the Taifa Stars had drawn level.

Nigeria had controlled much of the first half and were rewarded nine minutes before the interval when Semi Ajayi rose highest to power home a header from an Alex Iwobi delivery.

However, Tanzania levelled matters in the second half when Charles M’Mbowa burst through and slide a composed finish past Stanley Nwabali. Tanzania could not celebrate for a while, as within sixty seconds, Lookman produced a moment of class, curling an unstoppable effort from the edge area for the winner.

Tanzania played better than many people expected

“I think Tanzania played better than many people expected. Nigeria had a lot of possession, but we neutralised them well through our tactical system,” the Argentine coach told CAFOnline.com after the game.

“They did create chances, but most of them came from individual quality — which is not surprising. Overall, I believe we surprised a lot of people with the quality of our performance against Nigeria today.”

Following the defeat, Taifa Stars have two matches to salvage their AFCON as they are lined up to face Uganda next on Saturday, December 27, before coming up against Tunisia on Tuesday, December 30.