Tanzania needed seven matches to record their first victory at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Four days later, they can claim their second and move on to six points.
The Twiga Stars face Burkina Faso on Friday after defeating 2022 champions South Africa 2-1. Their opponents arrive from the opposite direction: they lost 4-1 to Ivory Coast and are still waiting for their first victory at the tournament.
Burkina Faso won all four of their qualifying matches. After beginning the finals with the heaviest defeat in their WAFCON history, they must quickly recover the solidity that took them to Morocco.
Tanzania survived 24 shots
The victory over South Africa was built with little possession and a great deal of defensive work.
Tanzania had 37% of the ball, made 44 clearances and allowed 24 attempts. Goalkeeper Najiat Idrisa faced nine shots on target and saved eight.
Diana Msewa put the Twiga Stars ahead in the 37th minute. Bambanani Mbane equalised before half-time, but Hasnath Ubamba, who had started the match on the bench, decided the result in the 87th.
It was Tanzania’s first victory after one draw and five defeats across their previous six WAFCON matches. It also allowed them to collect more points in one evening than they had managed across their first two appearances combined.
Another win would move them on to six points and leave them close to a place in the quarter-finals.
A 4-1 scoreline that did not tell the full story
Burkina Faso conceded three times inside the opening 23 minutes against Ivory Coast. Rebecca Elloh opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Inès Konan added two goals before the interval.
Faoziatou Ouedraogo’s dismissal in the 52nd minute made their attempted recovery even more difficult. The goalkeeper is suspended against Tanzania, with Nina Yadi Dabilgou likely to take her place.
The scoreline, however, did not entirely reflect the match. Burkina Faso finished with more big chances than Ivory Coast and scored their only goal after being reduced to ten players. Adama Congo converted a pass from Balkissa Sawadogo to make it 4-1.
It was Congo’s second WAFCON goal. She also scored in the 2-2 draw with Uganda in 2022, the only point Burkina Faso have collected from their four matches at the finals.
The danger comes before half-time
Both teams’ tournament records place particular importance on the first half.
Six of Tanzania’s seven WAFCON goals have been scored before the interval. Burkina Faso, meanwhile, have conceded six of their eight goals at the tournament during the same period.
The exception was the goal that transformed the Twiga Stars’ recent history: Ubamba’s 87th-minute winner against South Africa.
Burkina Faso and Tanzania have never previously met at the finals. One is searching for their first points of this edition and the first victory in their history. The other can move on to six points and take a major step towards reaching the quarter-finals for the first time.
The match kicks off in Casablanca on Friday 31 July at 20:00 GMT.