Following their 100% start to the CECAFA Under 23 tourney, Emerging Stars are now slated to face Burundi in the semi-final slated for Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.Emerging Stars sealed progression to the knockout phases of the tournament after thumping Djibouti 3-0 and registering a 2-0 win over South Sudan.Burundi on the other hand settled for a hard-fought 1-1 draw against hosts Ethiopia on Friday as they rallied from a goal behind to bag the all-important point.CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup Pool C table standing P W D L GF GA GD PtsKenya 2 2 0 0 5 0 5 6S. Sudan 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0Djibouti 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0 pic.twitter.com/dPkjSlbWqa— Cecafaonline (@Cecafaonline) July 22, 2021 The semi-final against Burundi is scheduled for Wednesday 28 July with hosts Ethiopia yet to find out their fate if they will qualify as the best group runners up. Burundi head coach Jimmy Ndayizeye and his Ethiopian counterpart Wubetu Abate had mixed feelings after the 1-1 draw on Friday with the latter bemoaning the missed chances in the game. “It has been a very tough game and Ethiopia kept us under a lot of pressure. But I am glad we managed to get the draw and progress to the semi-finals,” said Ndayizeye.CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup Pool B table standing P W D L GF GA GD PtsBurundi 1 1 0 0 0 3 3 3Ethiopia 1 0 1 0 3 3 0 1Eritrea 2 0 1 1 3 6 -3 1 pic.twitter.com/majerAqjvq— Cecafaonline (@Cecafaonline) July 22, 2021 “We created so many chances and failed to take them,” said a disappointed Abate.Stanley Okumbi’s side is yet to concede in the tournament with Reagan Otieno and Benson Omalla having a spectacular tournament having two goals to their name so far.
