Kenya will look to finish the job when they face Tanzania in the second leg of their 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) first-round qualifier at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.The Emerging Stars traveled to Tanzania with a healthy 4-1 advantage from the first leg played at the Nyayo Stadium on 28 September. Today's encounter is scheduled to kick off at 4 pm.##NAJAVA_MECA_10007615##Kenya produced an emphatic display in Nairobi, with: Paul Osama, Lawrence Okoth, Kevin Wangaya and Kelly Madada finding the net to put Anthony Kimani's side firmly in control of the tie.Despite the commanding lead, Kimani has urged his players to approach the second leg with the same seriousness, warning that Tanzania will be a different proposition on home soil.“We have tried to fine-tune the players' mindset. We have made them understand it is not going to be a walk in the park against Tanzania, who will be playing at home. They will up the tempo a little bit, and will take the pressure a notch higher,” Kimani said.“The players are now prepared for all the scenarios that we might encounter, so I am pretty sure they will not be fazed by the pressure that will surely be there,” he added.Harambee Stars preserve 26-year unbeaten record against Rwanda in dour drawKimani, who also serves as an assistant coach of Harambee Stars, knows Kenya cannot afford to rely on the first-leg result.“Yes, we know we won in Nairobi. We also know there are another 90 minutes to play in Tanzania, and that is what is going to determine who progresses,” he said.“So we are not going to put in mind what happened in Nairobi, but are just going to plan for it just like the other matches.We now have a clear understanding of who we are up against; a very good, formidable side, with lots of quality, so we will have to be at our best to protect our lead, and hopefully extend it.”For Tanzania, the task is straightforward but demanding. They need to score at least three unanswered goals to level the tie, while a four-goal margin would see them overturn the deficit and progress.PLAYER RATINGS: Erambo, Ogam struggle in Harambee Stars' draw against RwandaCoach Hamad Ally has acknowledged the shortcomings from the first meeting and says his side has worked on correcting them ahead of the return leg.“We have been working towards correcting the mistakes made in that game against Kenya, and we had a friendly game to make us better. We will go back and look at the mistakes, try to fine-tune our play even better before the game,” he stated.“The players have admitted that we started poorly. They have promised that if we stick to the game plan, then we have a good chance of going through.”Harambee Stars legend Dennis Oliech lands role at FKFAlly was particularly unhappy with Tanzania's organisation and their inability to deal with transitions in the first leg.“We were not good in our organisation, especially off the ball. We felt that we needed to organise ourselves better. In the moments when we had to be in football, we were not good enough in those situations,” Ally said.“For me, the first half was not good because the goals we conceded obviously came from transitions. When we lost possession, we did not manage those moments well,” he explained.“The second half was the same. We managed to control the game and got a moment that allowed us to score, but then we lost concentration and conceded again. Obviously, all the goals are goals that we gave them,” he added.“The mistakes made by the defenders, especially for the third and fourth goals, were similar. Individual mistakes cost us, but we need to be much better in the second match and learn from these moments.”Carlisle United coach impressed after Kenyan forward shakes off 35-hour jetlag to scoreThe winner on aggregate will advance to the second round, where they will face Côte d'Ivoire.The 2027 U23 AFCON will be staged in Egypt and will also double as the qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Games, giving the Emerging Stars an added incentive to progress in the competition.
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