CECAFA U20 Championship:
- Third place play off: Sudan 0-1 Eritrea
- Final: Tanzania 1-0 Kenya
Biniam Mengsteab scored the lone goal during the third place play-off match as Eritrea overcame Sudan 1-0 in a mid-day kick off match at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru.
Both countries had fallen short in the semi-finals, albeit in similar fashion losing 1-0 apiece to the eventual winners Tanzania and Kenya.
The third place battle was therefore one game to determine who takes home bronze and it was well contested until Mengsteab’s decider.
Sudanese players Ammar Yaseraboalqassem got cautioned in the 18th minute for rough play.
Eritrea goalkeeper Haile Kibrom denied Sudan’s Musab Kurdman Elsidiq from close range after 25 minutes.
Moments later, Musab Kurdman Elsidiq also tested Kibrom from 15 yards.
Elsidiq had an indirect free-kick inside the goal area blocked by the defensive wall as the first half wrapped up goal-less.
Eritrea became wasteful when Mengsteab finished with a weak shot inside the goal area after Nahom Habte Gebremesekel’s explicit pass towards the hour mark.
Sudan called for the opening change. John Otengal Khames was introduced for Ahmed Mahmoud Ali.
It is Eritrea who broke the deadlock – thanks to Mengsteab’s cool finish past the goalkeeper Mohmaed Elnoor Adam inside the goal area.
Mengsteab was well position to finish off a quick counter attack, thanks to Deyben Gbtswawi Hinteseab’s defense splitter in the 67th minute.
Three minutes later, the goal hero Mengsteab got rested for a holding midfielder Sado Yemane Asfaha in a change of strategy.
Sudan pushed numbers upfront and introduced Ammar Mohamed Kannou for Gafar Wagealla Elamin in the final quarter.
Esam Moumen paved way for Osman Mokhtar Alnour in the final change for Sudan with ten minutes left on the mark.
Eritea also called for two final changes inside the final 10 minutes of the game.
Ismael Sitan Jahar and Ibrahim Mohamed replaced Gbtswawi and Nahom Tedese Mekonen respectively.
Subsistute Mokhtar forced a finger-tip save from Eritrea goalkeeper Kibrom in the 84th minute.
Deep inside the added minutes, Mokhtar scored but Ugandan referee Alex Muhabi stood firm and disallowed the goal following an off-side signal from the second assistant Robert Duwuki from South Sudan.
There were wild celebrations from the Eritrean players and the noisy fans.
Meanwhile, ugly scenes erupted moments after the final whistle as the fully charged Sudanese players and officials attacked the match officials.
Eritrea took Bronze at CECAFA U20, a championship won by Tanzania following their 1-0 win over Kenya in the physical finale.
Uganda had last emerged as champions in 2010 when the event was last held in Eritrea.
Team Line Ups:
Sudan XI:
Mohamed Elnoor Adam (G.K), Mohamed Osama Ali (Captain), Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed, Wagealla Gafar Elamin, Ahmed Mahmoud Ali, Moumen Esam, Ammar Yaseraboalqassem, Musab Kurdman Elsidiq, Ibrahim Mohamed Elfaki, Shihab Eldeen Siddiq Abdalrahman, Mohamed Abbas Namir
Subs:
Abdalla Yagoob Abdalla (G.K), Altaher Mohamed Altahir, John Otengal Khames, Osman Mokhtar Alnour, Mustafa Nagi Hassan, Ahmed Nadir Mansoor, Zahir Dahia Ishaq, Albager Alu Eljamri
Head coach: Mohamed Mousa
Eritrea XI: Haile Kibrom (G.K), Henok Mikael Girmay, Isias Abraham Goytom, Michael Habte Gebremeskel, Nahom Tedese Mekonen, Ahmed Ibrahim, Robel Tekle Michael (Captain), Ali Suleiman Ibrahim, Biniam Mengsteab, Yosief Mebrahtu, Deyben Gbtswawi Hintseab
Subs:
Sado Yemane Asfaha, Nahom Awet Mehari, Ismael Sitan Jahar, Ibrahim Mohamed
Out: Simon Asmelash Mekonen, Hermon Fessehaye Yohannes, Mewael Tesfai Yosief, Hanibal Girmay (G.K)
Head Coach: Alemseghed Efrem Haile (Eritrean)
Match Officials:
- Center Referee: Alex Muhabi (Uganda)
- 1st Assistant Referee: Oliver Odhiambo (Kenya)
- 2nd Assistant Referee: Robert Duwuki (South Sudan)
- 4th Official: Muhamed Dinareh (Djibouti)
- Match Coordinator: Suleiman Othman (Zanzibar)
- Referee Assessor: Ali Kalyango (Eritrea)
- Technical Study Group: Nick Yakhama (Kenya)
- Media Officer: Andrew Jackson Oryada (Uganda)
