Hosts Tanzania and Burundi have recorded convincing wins on Day 1 of the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers.
Burundi run riot by defeating South Sudan 4-0 in a Group C match played on Tuesday night at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es salaam.
Amini Nshimirimana netted a first half brace for Burundi going into the break. The second half was interrupted by a lighting challenge for close to 30 minutes. The South Sudan team tried to get their act together, but were erratic at goal. Sympathque Majidi also scored a brace to ensure Burundi walked away with a comfortable win amd maximum points.
“I am very happy with the big win because it gives us a perfect start in the tournament,” said Burundi’s coach Jean De Dieu Rukundo.
The third match of the day saw the 2024 Zonal winners Tanzania defeat Rwanda 3-0. Faraji Kayanda, Juma Aushiri and Evastus Lukanima netted first half goals for the Ngorongoro Boys. Rwanda’s head coach Andre Mbungo Casa made some changes in the second half as the team team put-up a better display and created some scoring opportunities.
Tanzania’s coach Maria Rivera Campesino said that although his team missed many opportunies, he is happy that they are creating them. “We have started with a win and we could win with a bigger margin in other matches because we keep creating many scoring chances,” added the coach.
Earlier Uganda had defeated Djibouti 4-1 in a Group B match. Action returns on Thursday with three matches on card. Rwanda will take on Ethiopia, while Djibouti face Sudan, while Group C table leaders Burundi face a test against Kenya.
Group A standing
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Tanzania 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 3
Ethiopia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rwanda 1 0 0 1 1 3 -3 0
Group B standing
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Uganda 1 1 0 0 4 1 3 3
Sudan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Djibouti 1 0 0 1 1 4 -3 0
Group C standing
P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Burundi 1 1 0 0 4 0 4 3
Kenya 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
S. Sudan 1 0 0 1 0 4 -4 0
