East Africa’s hopes in Group B hit a speed bump on Friday night after ten-woman Tanzania fell 2-1 to Burkina Faso, blowing the group wide open heading into the final round of fixtures.
The result came right after a thriller in the early kickoff, where defending champions South Africa fought back from two goals down to snatch a late 2-2 draw against Ivory Coast.
Fresh off their massive opening-day win over South Africa, Tanzania entered the clash full of confidence. However, the game turned on its head when the Twiga Stars were reduced to ten players mid-match.
Burkina Faso made the numerical advantage count, pressing high and breaking through the Tanzanian defense to claim their first three points of the campaign. Despite a spirited fightback from the East Africans, Burkina Faso held firm until the final whistle.
Tanzania remain on three points, meaning their qualification hopes rest entirely on their final group outing.
In the other group fixture, South Africa narrowly survived a major upset against a fired-up Ivory Coast side.
The Ivorians raced into a 2-0 lead before halftime courtesy of a double from Grace Sery (18′, 36′). South Africa pulled one back through Thembi Kgatlana in the 71st minute before Hildah Magaia volleyed home an equalizer in the ninth minute of stoppage time to rescue a point for Banyana Banyana.
Everything now is on the line in the final round of Group B matches:
Tanzania vs Ivory Coast: A win for the Twiga Stars secures automatic entry into the quarter-finals, while a draw leaves them hoping to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
Burkina Faso vs South Africa: A must-win clash for South Africa, while Burkina Faso need at least a point to keep their knockout dreams alive.
