NATIONAL women side, Twiga Stars, Head Coach Bakari Shime rued missed chances the team created in their return leg of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games African zone first round qualifier Twiga Stars succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of hosts DR Congo, Women Leopards at the Complexe Omnisports stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa on Tuesday to bow out 3-2 aggregate.
The first leg at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam a week ago ended in a 2-2 draw, in which Twiga Stars had to come from behind twice to earn a draw.
Mariane Kajaji put DR Congo ahead in the first half but Donisia Daniel pulled immediately after the break.
Twiga Stars were pegged back again, when Grace Balango netted the second for DR Congo but Asha Rashid spared the home team blushed with a late equaliser. In the game, Twiga Stars struggled to make impact in the final third.
In DRC, Bakari Shime charges also needed at least a draw of more than three goals to see them through but it was a tough call as they conceded the first goal in the 45th minute, when goalkeeper, Naijat Abas, was at fault, palming into her own net a corner kick.
Reports from Kinshasa had it that Twiga Stars dominated the first half but struggled to make the most from the chances they created. Shime alias ‘Black Wizard’ said that despite dominating the game, his players missed a bunch of scoring chances they created.
“It is unfortunate that we failed to make the most out of the chances we created in the game but we know in football, there is luck and that was what we missed on Tuesday,” he said.
Twiga enjoyed the same domination in Dar es Salaam but also failed to win, including missing a spot kick, which was wasted by Fatuma Khatib. However, Shime commended the quality and display of his squad, saying technically, there was room for further improvement.
On her part, the Tanzania Women Football Association (TWFA) Chairperson, Amina Kaluma commended the team’s fighting spirit.
She urged all stakeholders to continue supporting the women side, which she believes was getting stronger with time. Tanzania Ambassador to DR Congo (retired) Lieutenant General, Paul Mella, who witnessed the Tuesday night match also commended the team’s performance.
“Our team played well and better football compared to our opponents and hosts DRC but they were unlucky,’’ said the Ambassador. Following the 3-2 aggregate win, DR Congo progressed into the second round of the qualifiers and will face Equatorial Guinea.
However, Equatorial Guinea have been banned by FIFA and are not eligible to compete in Olympics, meaning DR Congo will likely get a bye to the third round.
In 2017, FIFA expelled Equatorial Guinea from the 2019 Women’s World Cup for using fake documents and selecting at least 10 ineligible players in its Olympic team.
