Tanzania kicked off their 2024 African Nations Championship campaign with a confident 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso, scoring in both halves to secure maximum points in Group B.

The Taifa Stars began brightly, dominating possession and pushing into Burkina Faso’s half. Early on, Mzize was active down the right and forced a save from Burkina Faso goalkeeper Sanou in the 5th minute, who needed two attempts to collect a dangerous low cross. Soon after, Husseini and Mzize combined, but the latter’s shot went just wide.

Sanou remained alert in goal, denying Salum’s long-range strike and again collecting a powerful drive minutes later. On the other end, Burkina Faso had a brief moment when Ouattara set up Sangaré, but the shot was easily handled by Tanzanian keeper Suleiman.

Tanzania’s control continued, with Yahya heading over from close range and Suleiman seeing another long-distance effort drift wide. A hydration break at the 25-minute mark allowed both teams to regroup.

As the half wound down, Tanzania created the best chance of the game when Suleiman went one-on-one with Sanou, only for the Burkina Faso keeper to palm it away brilliantly. Just before the break, a foul by Tologo in the box earned Tanzania a penalty. Suleiman stepped up and fired low into the right corner, beating Sanou’s outstretched hand to give Tanzania a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Tanzania maintained their grip on the game, controlling possession and keeping Burkina Faso at bay. Mzize tested Sanou again, and Salum’s deflected header from a free kick was also pushed over by the busy keeper.

Tanzania’s persistence paid off in the 70th minute. Salum delivered a low cross from the left, and Husseini beat the goalkeeper to slot into an empty net. VAR checked for any irregularities but confirmed the goal, doubling Tanzania’s lead.

Substitutions followed on both sides, with Suleiman replaced by Msindo for Tanzania, and Kaboré coming on for Tologo. Nado later made way for Mwaikenda. Burkina Faso pushed for a way back into the game, but Tanzania remained defensively compact, limiting any real threats.In the closing moments, the game slowed down with minor stoppages and a late yellow card for Kagoma. After seven minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed a solid 2-0 win for Tanzania ; their first-ever victory at the African Nations Championship.