Africa-Press – Tanzania. TAIFA Stars paid the price for profligacy in front of goal as a dominant display ended in a 1–0 defeat to Liechtenstein in their FIFA Series 2026 opener at Kigali’s Pelé Stadium.
Despite dictating large spells of the contest, the East Africans were undone by a single moment of precision, highlighting a familiar flaw—dominance without a cutting edge. The Stars now turn their focus to Sunday’s clash against Macau, who arrive wounded after a 4–1 defeat to Aruba at the same venue.
From the first whistle, Tanzania controlled possession and tempo, their midfield orchestrating play and pinning Liechtenstein deep. Crisp passing and intelligent movement carved out openings, but the final touch repeatedly deserted them.
The first notable chance came in the 12th minute when Selemani Mwalimu timed his run behind the defence. With only the goalkeeper to beat, he shot over the crossbar, a missed opportunity that would set the tone for Tanzania’s day.
Despite this, the team continued to press forward, probing gaps in the Liechtenstein defence, but finishing remained an issue. Just before half-time, Feisal Salum came close to breaking the deadlock with a long-range effort. The shot beat the goalkeeper but struck the right-hand post, leaving the score at 0–0 at the interval.
Tanzania’s first-half display was one of control and intent, yet they could not capitalise on their dominance. The match changed in the 55th minute when Liechtenstein launched a counter-attack.
Nicolas Hasler carried a wellweighted pass to Saglam Fermat, who met it in stride and calmly finished past goalkeeper Aishi Manula, who had rushed off his line to close the angle. The goal highlighted the difference between the two sides.
Tanzania held more possession and controlled play for long periods, but Liechtenstein proved more effective on the break. Tanzania continued to push for an equaliser with Morice Abraham coming close in the last minutes of the clash. But it was unfortunate that he was unable to beat the goalkeeper, Buechel Benjamin.
