Dar es Salaam has its new favorite soundtrack, the roar that follows a winning goal inside the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. In a campaign stitched together by grit and sudden bursts of quality, co-hosts Tanzania have become the first team to reach the last eight at the 2024 CHAN, sealing top spot in Group B with a perfect run that now has the country dreaming of a deeper adventure.
The decisive stride came with a 2-1 victory over Madagascar, a night when 21-year-old forward Clement Mzize announced himself with a brace that felt both clinical and composed. It was a win built on foundations laid days earlier in a narrow, hard-fought success against Mauritania, where veteran defender Shomari Kapombe struck in the 89th minute to tilt a tense encounter. Stitch the moments together and a picture emerges, a team discovering different ways to win, a stadium discovered as a fortress.
The night that sealed it in Dar es Salaam
Against Madagascar, Tanzania started with intent and calm, their rhythm visible in the early exchanges. Mzize opened the scoring in the 13th minute, alive to a rebound after Mudathir Yahya’s effort crashed off the post, and he tapped in to put the Taifa Stars in front, a finish that offered a glimpse of his poacher’s instincts. Seven minutes later he doubled the lead, pouncing on Fei Toto’s free kick and beating goalkeeper Michel Ramandimbisoa at the near post with a right-foot strike, the kind of second touch that turns promise into production.
The youngster’s first-half burst made him the first player at this tournament to score a brace, a milestone that felt deserved given his movement and conviction. Madagascar, proud and resilient, answered in the 34th minute when Mika Razafimahatana slid in a precise finish from a cutback by Lalaina Cliver Rafanomezantsoa, a goal that marked Tanzania’s first concession of the tournament. From there the match steadied into a contest of nerve, Tanzania protecting what they had with disciplined lines and measured possession.
Mazize threatened a hat-trick before the break, his runs repeatedly worrying the Malagasy back line. In the second half the forward remained a thorn, stretching the defense and creating pockets for teammates to exploit. Substitute Pascal Msindo drew a save with a low effort from distance in the 59th minute, a reminder that Tanzania still carried a counterpunch even while managing the tempo and the clock.
Madagascar pushed, but their best openings drifted wide or faltered before the final pass. For a team that arrived with pride in a group-stage record that included three unbeaten matches at CHAN 2022, this was a stern examination against co-hosts feeding off energy and clarity. Tanzania’s back line stayed organized, clearing second balls and narrowing angles, the sort of late-game craftsmanship that separates leaders from chasers.
Tanzania are the first country to qualify for the quarterfinals, and they have sealed top spot in Group B with nine points.
The foundation was laid against Mauritania
Before the Madagascar surge, there was Mauritania under the floodlights, a game that asked Tanzania to suffer and stay patient. The Group B meeting stayed goalless deep into the second half, both sides compact and careful, the margins thin and every touch contested. Then came the release in the 89th minute, when Shomari Kapombe timed his run perfectly to meet a clever through ball from Iddy Nado and slid the finish past Abderrahmane Sarr, a veteran’s calm applied to a frantic moment.
The eruption from the stands felt like a tide pulling the ball over the line. In that win, several pivot points stood out, not least a first-half save from goalkeeper Yakoub Suleiman to deny Ahmed El Moctar, a stop that preserved the platform on which Kapombe would later build. Mauritania threw everything forward in stoppage time and the end turned scrappy, but the Tanzanian defense, anchored by experience and composure, held firm to bank a second straight victory.
That result put Tanzania on six points, top of Group B at the time and still unbreached at the back. It also confirmed a personality trait for the co-hosts, comfort in the grind and belief that a single precise action, a darting run or a guided finish, could decide a tight match. The Kapombe moment became a reference point, a story that teammates could reach for when the next test arrived.
| CASINO | BONUS | INFO | RATING | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
bonus
50% up to KES 1,000 karibu bonus
See 3 Bonuses
|
info
|
|
||
|
bonus
100% welcome bonus up to KES 10,000
|
info
60+ software providers, over 5,000 casino games, BK 0000751 PG 0000451 |
|
||
|
bonus
First Bonus: 200% Deposit Bonus
See 2 Bonuses
|
info
8048/JAZ2024-001 HunnyPlay is licensed under Curaçao (365/JAZ). Join now and win crypto instantly! |
|
||
|
bonus
New players get 40 free spins and a Ksh 200 freebet!
See 7 Bonuses
|
info
BK 0000665 PG 0000405 Good combination of online casino and betting platform |
|
Group B picture and what it reveals
After two matchdays, Tanzania led with six points without conceding, followed by Burkina Faso on three, with Madagascar and Mauritania on one each. The next chapter then brought Madagascar back to Dar es Salaam, where the co-hosts’ 2-1 victory delivered nine points out of nine and guaranteed top spot. From a standings perspective, that single piece of arithmetic carries meaning, it secures a quarter-final berth and gives the coaching staff room to manage minutes in the days ahead.
As the group unfolds, Madagascar remain in the hunt despite sitting fourth on one point, their draw with Mauritania offering a strand of hope. The islanders still hold a pathway if they win their remaining matches and finish with a better goal difference than Mauritania should the two nations tie on points. For Mauritania the road is narrower, they face an uphill task and need a statement performance to revive their campaign.
There is also the schedule to consider, and with it the chance to refine rhythm. Tanzania will face the Central African Republic in their last group match on Saturday, August 16, a fixture that arrives with the luxury of secured progress but with the demand to maintain focus. Rotation can be a friend, but continuity can be a compass, and striking that balance will be the next tactical decision.
Stars of the story so far
Clement Mzize has been the headline act, his brace against Madagascar an early tournament marker that reflects craft and confidence. The young Yanga forward married instinct to execution, first arriving in the right area for a rebound, then applying a sharp finish at the near post, a combination that suggests a scorer’s toolkit. He kept stretching the field in the second half, a presence that created space and doubt, even when the hat-trick eluded him.
Shomari Kapombe, a defender with a veteran’s sense of timing, delivered the biggest heartbeat spike of the week with his late winner against Mauritania. It was a move that depended on cohesion as much as individual composure, a run from deep, a threaded release from Iddy Nado, a finish with the crowd already rising. Those contributions layer together, a reminder that while the goals carry names, they also carry the imprint of a team learning to connect under pressure.
Balance has also been visible between the lines, in the saves and the interventions that vanish as soon as the danger is cleared. Yakoub Suleiman’s first-half stop from Ahmed El Moctar preserved parity and belief, and that single action loomed large when the points were counted. In tournament football, such moments rarely make the headlines, but they are the quiet scaffolding of a winning run.
The stage and the supporters
Benjamin Mkapa Stadium has served as a stage and a spur, a place where the noise seems to travel in waves and wrap itself around the team. The celebrations after Kapombe’s strike against Mauritania hinted at a bond between stands and pitch that can add a beating heart to tactics and technique. Against Madagascar, that same energy felt present from the opening whistle, a shared insistence that the night would belong to the co-hosts.
Supporters have long memories, and they collect moments, late winners, first braces, saves that matter. This tournament already offers a handful of keepers for the scrapbook, and the promise of more if the form holds. The connection is tangible, and with each result the belief grows that a deep run is not just possible, it is within reach.
Tactical threads that tie the wins together
Across these matches a few patterns have stood out, and they speak to a team comfortable in different game states. There is patience in possession and a willingness to wait for the right pass, as seen in the Mauritania winner that sprang from timing and vision. There is also directness when the moment demands it, such as the quick reactions that produced Mzize’s first goal against Madagascar.
Set pieces and second phases have been another well, with Fei Toto’s delivery leading to the second goal against Madagascar, a sequence that highlights rehearsed routes and quick execution. The defensive shape has remained compact, lines tight and distances manageable, a choice that keeps the block intact even when opponents push. Put together, those threads suggest a side that understands its strengths and plays to them without apology.
What comes next for Tanzania
With qualification already secured, the immediate horizon is about sharpening edges rather than searching for them. The meeting with the Central African Republic offers an opportunity to fine tune, to test combinations and manage workloads, while keeping the competitive edge that has defined the group stage. The margin for error will shrink in the quarter-finals, and form gathered now can be a lighthouse when knockout tension arrives.
For all the analytics, there is also the human arc that makes tournaments compelling. A young striker stepping into the light, an experienced defender choosing a brave run in the dying minutes, a goalkeeper’s save that keeps the door open, these are the strands of Tanzania’s story so far. If they continue to blend resilience with timely bursts of quality, the next chapters could be the most memorable yet.
Implications for the Group B chase
Behind Tanzania, the margins will likely be thin, and every sequence can swing a campaign. Madagascar, despite the setback, still control parts of their fate, their task clear and demanding, win and chase a favorable goal difference against Mauritania if points level. Mauritania, stung and searching, need a result of substance to extend their stay, and Burkina Faso remain a reference point after their early win that kept them in the frame.
For now, the co-hosts have earned the right to look forward with purpose. They have solved different puzzles across their first three matches, from a late breakthrough to a brace-fueled start, and they have done it with a crowd that walks every step with them. In tournament football, that combination, clarity on the pitch and energy off it, often proves decisive, and Tanzania have put themselves exactly where they wanted to be.
