The international friendly match, played in Cairo on Saturday, marked Gamondi’s first game in charge since taking over from Hemed “Morocco” Suleiman
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania national football team (Taifa Stars) interim head coach Miguel Gamondi has attributed his side’s 4–3 defeat to Kuwait to a lapse in concentration, particularly in the early stages of the second half, which allowed the opponents to mount a dramatic comeback.
The international friendly match, played in Cairo on Saturday, marked Gamondi’s first game in charge since taking over from Hemed “Morocco” Suleiman.
Despite a promising first half in which the Taifa Stars controlled play and took a comfortable 2–0 lead, the team crumbled after the restart and conceded four goals in just 23 minutes.
The defeat extended Tanzania’s winless run to four consecutive matches dating back to September.
The Stars drew 1–1 with Congo Brazzaville in a 2026 World Cup Qualifier on September 5, before suffering back-to-back home losses to Niger and Zambia.
They later fell 2–0 to Iran in a friendly played in Dubai on October 14.
Saturday’s loss adds to growing concerns as the team edges closer to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals. Gamondi, speaking after the match, said the team executed the game plan well in the first half but failed to cope with Kuwait’s high pressure immediately after the interval.
“We played very well in the first half,” he said. “But we lost concentration in the opening minutes of the second half. Kuwait used their set pieces well, and we conceded two quick goals.”
Tanzania took the lead in the 6th minute through Charles M’Mombwa, who finished off a well-worked move.
Tarryn Allarakhia doubled the advantage in the 34th minute, capping an impressive attacking display that saw Taifa Stars dominate possession and create several clear-cut chances.
Carrying a deserved 2–0 lead into halftime, Gamondi looked set for a dream start.
But the momentum shifted almost instantly after the break. Kuwait pulled one back in the 46th minute through Mohammad Daham, who struck again in the 53rd to level the match at 2–2.
The defensive collapse continued, with Youssef Naser completing the comeback in the 64th minute to put Kuwait ahead 3–2.
Five minutes later, Kuwait extended their lead to 4–2 when Hasan Al Anezi capitalised on another breakdown in Tanzania’s defensive organisation. M’Mombwa scored his second goal in the 87th minute to close the gap to 4–3, but it was too late for Tanzania to rescue a result.
Gamondi admitted that his instructions at halftime were not properly executed.
“We told the players to be very alert in the first 15 minutes of the second half and to avoid unnecessary mistakes. Unfortunately, we failed to manage that period, and we allowed three goals. You cannot concede goals the way we did,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, Gamondi insists the team must take positives from their first-half performance and focus on correcting the errors before heading to the AFCON finals.
“We need to analyse this game carefully, fix the mistakes, and build on what we did well,” he added.
