U-17 World Cup: Tanzania will beat Burundi and qualify – Elias

The women’s national team skipper is confident they will win their two-legged fixture and advance to the next stage

Tanzania U-17 women team captain Irene Elias has stated they will beat Burundi home and away when they play in their World Cup qualifier.

The two teams will face off in the first leg qualifying battle of the biggest football contest in the world at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

After the first leg, Tanzania will travel to Burundi for the return leg and the aggregate winner will progress to the second round of the qualifiers, to play against the winner between Ethiopia and Uganda.

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Speaking prior to the match, Elias said basing on the level of preparations they have had prior to the game, winning the home match is their top priority.

“To say the truth, there is no way for Burundi to leave the pitch unscathed and this can only be achieved if fellow Tanzanians will come in big number to cheer us up,” Elias is quoted by Daily News.

She added people should not fear about posting bad results from them since morale among team members is high and they are eager to get a convincing victory from the home match.

Also, the team’s goalkeeper Masha Omary said personally, she will work hard at the guarding territory to avoid conceding goals.

“As a shot-stopper, let me assure all Tanzanians we are well prepared to face them (Burundi) so that in the return leg, we should not have pressure at all," she said.

Head Coach Bakari Shime revealed how they will approach the game without underrating Burundi, describing them as a tough opponent to play against.

“We have had a long term preparation leading to this match and just recently, the team returned from Egypt where we took part in a special competition and this is a good platform to put in practice what we learnt there,” Shime said.

According to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), entry charges leading to the game have been simplified to attract more fans at the 60,000 capacity stadium, of which VIP A will be accessed at 5000/-, VIP B 1000/- while those who will occupy ordinary seats will pay nothing at all.

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