Sports

Ngorongoro lose out to Rwanda’s Junior Wasps

NGoRonGoRo Heroes striker Simon Msuva skips past Bayisenge Emeren of Rwanda’s U-20 side during their international friendly match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Monday.

THE national Under-20 team, Ngorongoro Heroes, conceded a 2-1 defeat to their Rwandan counterparts, the Junior Wasps, in an international friendly match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Monday.

The match was designed to prepare both sides for the forthcoming 2013 Africa Youth Championship (AYC) qualifiers later this month.Heroes are preparing for the first leg of the continental youth qualifiers against the Flying Eagles of Nigeria slated for July 29, while Rwanda are gunning up for their clash against Mali on July 28.

The visitors started the game on a sound note and opened the scoring barely three minutes into the match when Tibingana Mwesigye blasted in from inside the area.Ngorongoro Heroes responded by pressing forward a minute later and winger, Ramadhan Singano, was released on the left, crossed in but striker Thomas Ulimwengu arrived late in the box and missed the ball.

Ngorongoro took the game to their opponents for the next 15 minutes but failed to break down the visitors' tight defence.
The home team pressured again and drew level on the 31st minute through a spot kick taken by Ulimwengu. The team won the penalty after Singano has been felled inside Rwanda box.

The game was a balanced affair thereafter and the two teams eventually finished the first half with the 1-1 draw.Rwanda had an upper hand on resumption and notched the second on the 54th minute trough Nshimiyimana Imran.

Imran snatched the ball from Ngorongoro Heroes left full-back, Rashid Idrissa, then sped into the box before putting the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Awaichi Mawala.Heroes' strikers Ulimwengu and Simon Msuva had previously tested Rwanda keeper with fierce shots from almost 20 metres but the latter parried the attempts.

Rwanda continued to put the hosts' defence under pressure thereafter and went close on several occasions.The visitors hung on for the rest of the game and came out with the win, spoiling Danish Jacob Michelsen's debut as Heroes head coach.

Ngorongoro Heroes reached the second round of the U-20 qualifiers after dispatching Sudan in the first round.Heroes thrashed Sudan 3-1 in the first leg match played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam before losing to the latter 2-1 in the return leg and progressed to the second round with 4-3 goals aggregate.