Tanzania qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for Egypt after a hiatus of 39 years.
The feat took place on Sunday March 24 after Taifa Stars, the national team of East Africa’s second biggest economy thumped neighbouring Uganda 3-0.
The last time Taifa Stars made the cut was in 1980 when the tournament was hosted in Nigeria.
It means four East African teams – Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and Kenya – will qualify for the 32nd edition of the continental championship to be held in Egypt.
Uganda went into the derby in Tanzania having not conceded a single goal during their entire 2019 Nations Cup qualifying campaign.
The record ended emphatically in Dar es Salaam in their sixth and final group fixture with Simon Msuva beating Denis Onyango in Uganda’s goal in the 21st minute.
Experienced Erasto Nyoni added a second after the break with Aggrey Morris making it 3-0 to Tanzania on a memorable day for the hosts.
Despite the comfortable scoreline, it was still a nervous end to the match as Tanzania’s fans and players anxiously monitored news from Praia where – if Lesotho had won – their dream of qualifying would have ended
