Twiga Stars eyes Ivory Coast scalp in 2024 WAFCON Qualifiers rematch

In the first leg played in Yamoussoukro on Friday, hosts Ivory Coast came out stronger in the second half to seal an emphatic 2-0 victory over a determined Twiga Stars side. 

Frédérique Akebie Abroguoa came off the bench to give Ivory Coast the lead just three minutes into the second half before Ines Ida Guehai sealed it for the Ivorians in the 55th minute ahead of the trip to Dar es Salam.

Twiga Stars will be looking to overturn that deficit in a match scheduled to take place at Azam Complex Stadium starting at 7 p.m.

The Tanzanian team returned to Dar es Salaam from Yamoussoukro on Saturday and headed straight to camp to continue their preparations for the crucial second leg match, whose winner faces the winner of yet another qualifier pitting Togo against Djibouti.

Twiga Stars’ head coach Bakari Shime was defiant that his side could overturn the deficit, insisting they could score three unanswered goals against Ivory Coast.

“I am satisfied with how my team played in the first leg despite losing 2-0. I am very positive that we can get the much-needed results in the return leg at home. We already know how they play, we know where their strengths and weaknesses are,” Shime noted.

The tactician revealed: “We will have a different approach, in the first leg we defended and counter-attacked. At home, we will now attack throughout while being cautious not to concede an away goal.”

“I believe scoring three goals at home is not difficult but we have to work hard to make it possible,” Shime said.

“It is not a big challenge because we won’t be alone but with the home support of Tanzanians who will motivate us.”

Shime disclosed: “Our big task is to ensure our players recover physically and mentally quickly to believe the tie is still alive.”

He noted: “The players need to understand that we can score three goals. They have seen it is possible and must keep believing we can do it at home.”

The 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship purposes and, as WAFCON 2024 for short, will be the 15th edition of the biennial African women's football tournament. It will be hosted by Morocco in consecutive editions.

Twiga Stars made their first and last appearance in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2010 but failed to go past the group stage in the tournament held in South Africa.