CHAN: Suleiman satisfied with Tanzania draw against CAR

Tanzania head coach Hemed Suleiman has admitted to being satisfied with the outcome of the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) fixture against Central African Republic (CAR) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday.

Having already qualified for the knockout stages, Taifa Stars were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against CAR, but the result was enough to see them finish top of Group B with 10 points from four matches.

“We thank God for qualifying for the quarter-finals. We entered the match as qualified teams. It was a good thing, and it was also a good lesson for us for the future,” he said as quoted by CAFOnline.com.

“I said before that we will face a strong team and it will not be easy to win against them. Our players performed well and created chances, and I congratulate them after their struggle.”

He added: “We played a good match, and we must learn lessons in training after this match, which was a good lesson for us. The Central African Republic team always plays well.

“Our players gave their all for the entire 90 minutes. Our goal was to qualify for the next round of the tournament, and we achieved that. I consider the draw a satisfactory result for us. Our team is improving, and we are confident in its future. We will try to ensure that our attacking line will be good in the future.”

The coach admitted he had hoped for a perfect group stage run but expressed pride in his squad’s efforts. “I’m proud of our players. Our goal was to qualify for the knockout stages, and we are looking forward to more in this tournament.”

Madagascar claimed the second qualifying spot after beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in the group’s other decisive fixture played simultaneously, leaving Mauritania narrowly missing out on goal difference.