Tanzania extended their fine run in the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after securing a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Algeria, following a highly entertaining 3-3 draw at the Mohammed VI Football Academy pitch on Sunday, 24 March.
The Serengeti Boys, who last week secured their historic ticket to the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup set to be held in Qatar, held their nerve when it mattered most to book their place in the semifinals.
In what was a rollercoaster of a tie, Algeria made the perfect start when Muhammad Valmy struck with precision in the fourth minute, to hand the Young Fennecs an early advantage. Unshaken by the setback, Tanzania responded through the lively Dismas Athanasis, who restored parity in the 25th minute. But Valmy was not done yet, completing his brace five minutes before the break to put Algeria back in front.
The drama intensified deep into first-half stoppage time as Luqman Mbalasalu rescued Tanzania with a dramatic equaliser in the eighth minute of the added time. After the restart, Tanzania took the lead for the first time in the match when Athanasis grabbed his second goal of the evening in the 61st minute.
Algeria, however, refused to surrender, with Noam Benderamdane levelling matters once again just four minutes later. Neither side could find a winner before the final whistle, sending the tie to a nerve-shredding penalty shootout. Once there, it would be the Tanzanians who would emerge victors, going perfect on all their kicks, with Algeria missing their third and fifth penalties, which were taken by regular-time goal-scorers Benderamdane and Valmy, respectively.
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Meanwhile, on Saturday, 23 May, fellow CECAFA representatives Uganda also booked their place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, this after beating Ghana 8-7 on penalties, following a dramatic 2-2 draw in normal time.
Their qualification, which came via the playoffs, completed Africa’s lineup for the global tournament, with The Cubs joining the other qualified countries including: Tanzania, Morocco, Cameroon, Algeria, Mozambique, Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Mali.