Photo Credit: Tanzania Football Federation
Tanzanian coach Hemed Suleiman has stressed the importance of keeping their momentum when they come up against Mauritania in their second Group B encounter at the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Wednesday.
Taifa Stars kicked off their campaign with a commanding 2-0 victory against favourites Burkina Faso while Mauritania secured a 0-0 opening draw against Madagascar.
Suleiman is now targeting back-to-back wins that could secure early qualification. “There’s great morale within the team. Our focus, both mentally and physically, is solid, and we want to maintain this momentum,” said Suleiman as quoted by CAFOnline.com.
“We didn’t create many chances in our first match, and that’s something we’re working on. African football is tough — you don’t score four or five goals easily. But we want to increase our attacking threat.”
On facing Mauritania, he said: “We know Mauritania are a well-organised and disciplined side. Any team that makes it to this level deserves respect. We’ve studied their game, and it won’t be an easy match.
“The fans understood exactly what we needed last time, and we want to see that again. Let’s keep pushing — we want to give them joy and something to be proud of.”
Taifa Stars goalkeeper Aishi Manula shared his coach’s caution, saying: “The first match is behind us. The next one is even tougher because everyone now has expectations. We’ve prepared well, and a win here would give us clarity on how far we can go.”