GoTv Cecafa Cup

TodayRwanda vs. EritreaUganda vs. Sudan

YesterdayTanzania 1-0 BurundiSomalia 0-4 Zambia

RWANDA’S Amavubi Stars must defeat the Red Sea Boys of Eritrea today in the last and decisive GoTv Cecafa Tusker Challenge Cup Group C match at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru to win one of the two best third-placed rankings in order to reach the knock-out stage.

Going into today’s crucial crunch, Amavubi team under the tutelage of Eric Nshimiyimana must ensure that they find the net and secure a win of any kind if they are to sail through to the quarter finals.

Amavubi’s work was made easy when hosts Kenya beat Zanzibar 2-0 on Tuesday and Tanzania defeated Burundi 1-0 on Wednesday.

Burundi which finished third in Group B leads the classification standings with three points. Zanzibar which finished third in Group A is placed second with three points and 3 goal difference. 

Rwanda is yet to secure a win and has a -2 goal difference, a must win is needed to dethrone Zanzibar and qualify as the second best loser into the last eight.

Or else, if luck finds Amavubi strikers, a win with at least five goals would help them to snatch the first best loser position.

In addition to the group stage winners and runners-up, the two best third-placed teams will be ranked at the end of the group stage to determine who will qualify for the knockout stage.

The last match which pitted both teams saw Amavubi thrashing the Red Sea Boys 2-0 courtesy of Dady Birori and Tumaine Ntamuhanga goals at Lugogo stadium in Kampala, Uganda during last year’s edition.

If Amavubi fails to garner maximum points, it will join the likes of Eritrea, South Sudan and Somalia on the next flight back home.

The knockout stage will begin on December 7 with the quarter finals and end on December 12 with the final. In this stage, teams play against each other once.

The losers of the semi finals will play against each other in a third place playoff where the winner will be placed third overall in the entire competition.

In yesterday’s match, Tanzania ended their Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup group campaign on a sound note after edging out Burundi 1-0 in their final group match staged at the Afraha stadium in Nakuru.

A ninth minute strike by TP Mazembe forward Mbwana Samata was enough to hand the Kilimanjaro Stars the much needed three points.

Samata was playing in his first game for Tanzania having missed the opening two rounds of group B matches against former Africa champions Zambia in a 1-1 draw and the 1-0 win over Somalia on Sunday. It was his first game for the national team in the on-going tournament.

Quick goals from Bornwell Mwape and Festus Mbewe guaranteed Chipolopolo of Zambia top place finish in pool B after beating Somalia 4-0.

Zambia moved top of the pool ahead of Tanzania on goal difference as Somalia bowed out of the tournament conceding seven and not scoring in their three matches of pool B.