Tanzania were more efficient in Burkina Faso CHAN victory – Balboné

Burkina Faso national team head coach Issa Balboné has conceded that Tanzania were the better side in their 2-0 opening defeat of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday.

Playing in front of their home fans, the Taifa Stars needed a goal in each half to defeat the Stallions and send a strong statement to their Group B opponents ahead of subsequent matches.

A composed first-half penalty from Abdul Sopu set the tone before defender Mohamed Hussein sealed the victory midway through the second half with a powerful header, sending local fans into raptures.

“I think that we are confident, we are confident for the next game, for five years, Burkina Faso played its home game away, I think we will do all our best to deliver in the next game, and make our people happy,” said Balboné after the game.

“I think today (Saturday), Tanzania was more efficient in the game, they played a better game than us, and it now upon us to come back as a strong team, with strong spirit for the upcoming games.”

While Taifa Stars will look to build on this momentum in their next group match, Burkina Faso will face an uphill task if they are to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their history.