FOR Tanzania, a goalless draw against the Central African Republic (CAR) at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday night was not about points—it was about perspective.

Having already secured their place in the quarter-finals of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) Pamoja 2024, coach Hemed Suleiman used the match to assess his players and take lessons forward.

For CAR, meanwhile, the draw represented something far more personal: pride, resilience, and their first point in the competition.

 Suleiman: "It Was a Good Lesson for Us"

Tanzania’s coach Suleiman (pictured) emphasized the importance of the experience for his squad, even though the Taifa Stars missed out on a fourth consecutive victory.

“We thank God for qualifying for the quarter-finals. We entered the match as qualified teams. It was a good thing, and it was also a good lesson for us for the future,” he said. 

"I said before that we will face a strong team and it will not be easy to win against them. Our players performed well and created chances, and I congratulate them after their struggle.

He added: “We played a good match, and we must learn lessons in training after this match, which was a good lesson for us. The Central African Republic team always plays well.”

 Achieving the Main Objective

Suleiman was quick to underline that his team’s target had already been achieved.

“Our players gave their all for the entire 90 minutes. Our goal was to qualify for the next round of the tournament, and we achieved that," the Tanzania coach said.

"I consider the draw a satisfactory result for us. Our team is improving, and we are confident in its future. We will try to ensure that our attacking line will be good in the future,” he said.

The coach admitted he had hoped for a perfect group stage run but expressed pride in his squad’s efforts.

“I’m proud of our players. Our goal was to qualify for the knockout stages, and we are looking forward to more in this tournament.”

 Finding a Cutting Edge

If there was one concern, it was in attack. Tanzania created opportunities but could not convert them against a defensively stubborn opponent.

“It was difficult to play against a team that was defensive. Despite that, we created chances, but unfortunately, we couldn’t score. This is football. Things don’t always go our way.

"We have to re-evaluate our strategy well in order to score goals in the quarter-final match. Nothing affects us after this draw. We accept all results. Anything can happen, and there are no guaranteed results in matches,” Suleiman reflected.

Ngato: "Losing Was Forbidden"

On the other side, Central African Republic coach Sebastien Ngato hailed the point as a small but meaningful milestone.

“I congratulate the organizers of the 2024 CHAN tournament. The organization was excellent, and everything was excellent,” he began.

Ngato then revealed the motivational message he gave to his players: “Before the match, I said that losing is forbidden, and if we can snatch just one point to boost the team’s morale that would be good.

"I thank our players for defending our honor and securing a point in the tournament. We played against a team that was at home and in front of its fans, and we managed to draw.”

A Landmark Participation for CAR

Despite their early elimination, Ngato stressed that this was a historic year for CAR football.

“I am happy to be participating in this competition for the first time since our country’s independence. This is a great year for us, because we reached the finals with the under-17 and under-20 teams, and we participated in this tournament,” he noted.

Building for the Future

Ngato was particularly focused on the lessons learned, stressing the importance of patience with a young side.

“When we left our country to participate, we said we would discover the tournament, and in fact we gained experience. We will try to strengthen the offensive side and advance more in terms of finishing attacks. This is a young team and it is coming.”

He concluded: “We will continue to work and learn for the future and learn from the past. We played three matches with different tactics and we also had to try to play offensively in the Tanzania match. Football is football and young teams must continue to learn.” CAFOnline.com