A place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations is on the line as Tanzania face Congo DR at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium on Wednesday night.
With simultaneous kick-offs across Group F, the Leopards, on two points from their first two games, eye a win to stay in the driver’s seat, while the Taifa Stars face elimination if they fall short of a win.
Dismissed as Group F’s whipping boys before the tournament, Tanzania defied expectations and find themselves still in contention for a knockout berth heading into their final match.
Though their opening game was a chastening 3-0 drubbing by Morocco, a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Zambia kept them within touching distance of the other group contenders.
AFCON history has yet to witness a Tanzanian victory, with six defeats and two draws in their eight matches across three editions, including the current one, however, an historic win against DR Congo on Wednesday would present a golden opportunity to break that duck and reach the knockout stage for the first time.
Congo DR’s firepower, especially considering Tanzania’s struggles to keep opponents at bay, could well be the difference at the end of the game. As a result, the Taifa Stars might find themselves outgunned by the Leopards given the immense importance of this clash.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
