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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Aug 25 2010 - 08:01:23 EDT
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000016734&cid=38&j=&m=&d=
Wednesday, 25th August 2010
Kenya fall to Eritrea and Tanzania too good for Sudan
By Feverpitch Team
Under a flooded artificial pitch, Eritrea pounced on a rare chance to
beat Kenya 1-0 in the last qualifying match of the Cecafa Under-20
Championship at Asmara Stadium on Monday.
Both teams had already qualified for the semi-finals and Eritrea
topped the pool to go into today’s clash with Rwanda, while Kenya will
take on Uganda tomorrow.
Tanzania beat Sudan 1-0 in an earlier match, but both teams joined
Somalia in going home early (yesterday morning] after failing to
garner enough points. Also on their flight home were Yemen and
Zanzibar from Group "B".
Kenya, adjudged my many people as a stronger side technically, were
completely unable to adjust to the horrible conditions, which some
thought warranted postponement of the match.
The ball simply could not roll through the water and the Kenyans were
worse for it when they insisted on playing passing football. A
competitive match in the early stages turned into a lottery farce.
But coach Vince Ombiji was not disturbed saying the defeat could be a
blessing in disguise.
pitch conditions
"If Eritrea play well (against Rwanda) we shall beat them in the
final," he told a post match Press conference.
"You can only win a tournament like this by beating the hosts and
defending champions. We possibly will face both and it is our plan to
beat them in order to take the Cup," he said.
Ombiji blamed his boys for not adopting properly to the pitch conditions.
Eritrea scored in the 58th minute when Meron Hebteslus converted a
cross into the Kenyan box from the left flank. Heavy rains had been
hitting the pitch by then for over quarter of an hour and conditions
got worse.
It was then a time for the heavy boot; to send the ball up front and
the home team acquitted themselves better.
Challenge Cup bid
Kenya did not respond in the same way. They tried to pass the ball
around as usual with astonishingly comical results. Each pass rested
on the floods, a full 15 metres short of the distance intended.
Said coach Ombiji: "There was nothing I could do after yelling myself
hoarse; telling them that they needed to boot the ball and lift it
into the opponents’ area.
Meanwhile, Eritrea’s Red Sea coast city of Massawa, is among the
candidates to host the inaugural Cecafa Women’s Challenge Cup next
year.
With capital Asmara hosting the ongoing Cecafa Under-20 tournament,
Massawa has asked Cecafa to consider it for future tournaments.
"I believe we have all the facilities that we need to host a quality
event," the Governor of the Northern Red Sea region Tzeghereda
Woldeghirghis said on Sunday while receiving a Cecafa delegation.
During the visit, the Cecafa delegation that was led by secretary
general Nicholas Musonye was received warmly.
The team visited the newly constructed international airport, the
national stadium, hotels and several recreational centres and left
impressed by what the city can offer. There are plans to lay an
artificial turf at the stadium.
"Massawa is no doubt a potential host of our matches from the
facilities that I have seen today," Musonye said.
He said with the international airport in operation, teams can fly
directly to the venue.
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