Author: BENJAMIN BEN
AfricaPress-Tanzania: NGORONGORO Heroes skipper Kelvin John has dedicated the hat-trick he netted against Somalia to his late mother whom he said passed away on the same day the match was played.
The country’s envoys marched into the semifinals of the CECAFA Under-20 AFCON Regional Qualifiers with hefty 8-1 blitz over Somalia.
It was a second massive win for Ngorongoro Heroes in the competition after the 6-1 win over Djibouti in their tournament’s opener at the same venue.
However, immediately after netting his first goal on the day in the 28th minute, Kelvin unveiled his inner shirt which had the printed words on the chest saying ‘Rest in Peace Mama.’
“Today (Thursday) is the day when my mother passed away as such, I am happy to score the hat trick because it is a great gift to her. Even though she is not with me physically, I know that spiritually, she is with me,” he said.
Making a general assessment of the competition, the captain said generally, they are tough since all teams which made it to play in the AFCON qualifiers are well prepared to make the best from the competition.
“For our part, we are highly prepared to ensure that we get good results from each game we will be exposed to. We are grasping well all the guidelines from the technical bench and leaders on what we should do to win the matches,” said he.
His coach Jamhuri Kihwelo said they will amicably solve some of the problems he has observed in his squad so as to qualify to play in the AFCON finals next year.
“Our mission is not to win the title but rather to earn qualification of playing in the AFCON finals. I believe that our next game will be decisive as far as qualification is concerned. “Right now, what we need is to focus and win every game so as to once again take Tanzanians to the AFCON finals. As such, we will play with much energy to make sure that our target is reached,” he said.
He also disclosed that the problem of conceding goals despite posting big wins is something he will work at immediately prior to the last four encounters.
With 14 goals scored in two matches, Kelvin’s hat trick was the second for Ngorongoro Heroes and in the competition so far after Abdul Hamis who also netted triple goals in the 6-1 demolition of Djibouti.
In their group A, Tanzanian lead with 6 points, seconded by Djibouti who have garnered 3 points while Somalia remain point-less at the bottom of the table.
