Serengeti Girls romp into World Cup quarters

Tanzania’s U-17 women’s national football team (Serengeti Girls) pose for a photo shortly before facing Canada in their last match of group D at the DY Patil Sports Stadium in India yesterday.  PHOTO | COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The results means Serengeti Girls have finished in the second position after collecting four points, behind Japan who topped the group after collecting nine points

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s U-17 women’s national football team (Serengeti Girls) have qualified for the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following their 1-1 draw against Canada in the Group D encounter held yesterday at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in India.

The result means Serengeti Girls have finished in the second position after collecting four points, behind Japan who topped the group after collecting nine points. Japan outshined France 2-0. Japan’s goal was scored by Momoko Tanikawa in the 29th minute.

Japan’s second goal was scored by Sayami Kusunoki in the 90th minute of the game. This is history for Tanzania’s girls in the competition.

Serengeti Girls head coach Bakari Shime commended his players for the good performance in the encounter that was very tough.

Shime said his players deserve compliments for the performance and they are now focusing on the next match. Other teams that qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition are the United States and Brazil from group A while Germany and Nigeria qualified from group B. Colombia and Spain made it from group C.

Canada were the first to score through a penalty converted by Amanda Allen in the 14th minute. Canada’s penalty was awarded by referee Pansa Chaisanit from Thailand after the Serengeti Girls defence had fouled Amanda in the danger zone.

However, Serengeti Girls equalized in the 35th minute through Veronica Mapunda with a powerful shot just from outside the danger zone.

According to the fixture, Serengeti Girls will now face Colombia on Saturday and the winners will take on the winners between the US and Nigeria on October 26.