Dar es Salaam — TWIGA Stars Head Coach Bakari Shime says injuries and poor fitness in his squad contributed to Tanzania's 2-1 defeat by Ivory Coast, as their tournament campaign ended against one of the continent's strongest sides.
Tuesday's defeat ended Tanzania Women's Cup of Nations campaign, as Ivory Coast finished the group stage unbeaten with seven points from three matches, while South Africa's 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in the other Group B fixture took Banyana Banyana into second place.
Tanzania and Burkina Faso both ended on three points, but missed out on the quarter-finals. After the encounter, Shime revealed that several players were not fully fit for the match, while injuries during the game forced him to make further changes to his plans.
The biggest setback came in the first half when forward Opah Clement was forced off, leaving Tanzania without one of their key attacking options.
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"Losing our talismanic forward Opah Clement was a massive blow. It forced us to alter our entire attacking strategy, and while others stepped up out of position, we simply lacked that clinical edge upfront," Shime said after the match.
Aisha Mnunka and Enekia Lunyamila were then asked to lead the attack, while another injury to Donesia Minja forced Anna Katunzi to move into a makeshift defensive role.
Shime said the changes disrupted Tanzania's preparations and made it difficult for the team to maintain the tactical plan they had worked on before the match. The coach also revealed that several players had taken to the pitch despite not being fully fit, saying their physical condition contributed to mistakes that ultimately proved costly.
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"Several players pushed through the barrier today despite not being match-fit. Our errors weren't a reflection of ability, but rather a direct result of the poor physical condition and health struggles within the camp," he said.
Tanzania had initially stuck to their game plan and Shime believed Ivory Coast would become less organised in the second half. But conceding just before halftime changed the momentum of the match and affected his players' confidence.
"We stuck perfectly to our game plan and knew Ivory Coast would lose their shape in the second half, but conceding just before the break completely shattered our momentum," Shime said.
The Ivorians extended their lead after the restart following another defensive mistake that resulted in a penalty, leaving Tanzania with a difficult task. Twiga Stars did manage to score late in the match, but could not find an equaliser.
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Despite the defeat, Shime said the tournament had provided valuable experience for a younger generation of Tanzanian players, particularly after facing strong opposition such as South Africa and Ivory Coast.
"We blooded a lot of young prospects today in a highly competitive environment. They have learned some harsh but invaluable lessons, and I am certain we will return much stronger next time," he said.
Shime apologised to Tanzania's supporters for failing to meet the team's targets and asked for patience as the side continues through a rebuilding process.
"I want to apologise to the fans back home in Tanzania. We fell short of our targets, but this is all part of our footballing journey. Please do not lose heart; we will regroup and come back stronger," he said.
