Dar es Salaam. Twiga Stars head coach Bakari Shime has urged his players to remain focused on the bigger task ahead despite Tanzania opening their 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign with a memorable 2-1 victory over defending champions South Africa.
The historic triumph at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, handed Tanzania three valuable points in Group B and boosted their hopes of reaching the knockout stage for the first time.
However, Shime insists the mission is far from complete, with all attention now turning to Friday's decisive encounter against Ivory Coast.
Speaking after the match, Shime described the upcoming fixture as the most important game of Tanzania's campaign, saying victory would guarantee a place in the quarterfinals.
"The task is still ahead of us. We have won an important match, but our focus is now on Ivory Coast. That is the match that will decide our qualification because the winner will secure a place in the quarterfinals," said Shime.
Ivory Coast also made an impressive start to the tournament after cruising to a convincing 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso in their opening Group B fixture, setting up a mouth-watering showdown with Twiga Stars.
Reflecting on the victory over South Africa's Banyana Banyana, Shime admitted his side faced a difficult challenge against one of the continent's most successful women's football teams.
"It was not an easy match. We were playing against the defending champions and they have many experienced players. We made some mistakes after taking the lead and that allowed South Africa to equalise before halftime," he said.
The coach revealed that his technical bench identified South Africa's attacking approach early in the game and made tactical changes that proved decisive.
"They were attacking mainly through the flanks, so we adjusted our tactics to stop them from creating space on the wings and prevent them from penetrating our defence. The players executed the plan very well, and those changes helped us regain control before scoring the winning goal," Shime explained.
Twiga Stars had started the match confidently and nearly broke the deadlock in the opening stages through captain Opa Tukumbuke before creating another dangerous opportunity that almost resulted in a South African own goal.
Their persistence finally paid off in the 37th minute when striker Diana Msewa put Tanzania ahead. Msewa showed remarkable composure by beating her marker before calmly placing the ball beyond goalkeeper Andile Dlamini to give Twiga Stars a deserved 1-0 lead.
South Africa responded strongly and eventually found the equaliser in first-half stoppage time. Goalkeeper Najiati Idrisa initially produced an excellent save to deny Thembi Kgatlana, but defender Bambanani Mbane reacted quickest to head home the rebound and make it 1-1.
The defending champions continued to dominate possession after the break, but Tanzania remained disciplined and organised defensively while waiting patiently for opportunities on the counterattack.
The decisive moment came in the 86th minute when substitute Hasnath Ubamba produced a moment of brilliance. After receiving the ball inside the penalty area, Ubamba turned sharply to beat her marker before firing a low shot past Dlamini to spark wild celebrations among the Tanzanian players, technical bench and supporters.
