Co-host Tanzania began their Group B 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in style with a 2-0 win over Burkina Faso in Dar es Salaam on Saturday.
It was a lively start to the opening game, with Tanzania creating the better opportunities.
Toto came closest to opening the scoring early on when he found space and delivered a powerful shot which the Stallions’ goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant save to keep the score level.
Despite missing a few key opportunities throughout the first and second halves, the breakthrough finally came late in the first half.
Tanzania earned a penalty after Mzize was brought down inside the box. Abdul Suleyman Sopu stepped up and calmly slotted home in the 45+2 minute to give his side a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the Taifa Stars continued to press and were rewarded again in the 72nd minute.
Hussein timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap set by the Burkinabé defense and met a well-delivered cross from Didi Ali with a precise header into the net, doubling the host nation’s lead.
With the 2-0 win, Tanzania secured all three points and made a strong statement in front of their home fans to begin their CHAN 2024 campaign.
