Tanzania coach Adel Amrouche acknowledged the shortcomings of his tactical strategy after the Taifa Stars suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco in the opening match of the 2023 African Cup of Nations on Wednesday evening.The Taifa Stars fell to the 2022 World Cup semifinalists, courtesy of goals from Selim Amallah, Azzedine Ounahi, and Youssef En-Nesyri in a match in which they played the final 20 minutes with a man down after the dismissal of Novatus Miroshi in the 70th minute for a second booking.##NAJAVA_MECA_7805753##In his post-match interview, the outspoken tactician admitted that they were outsmarted by the North Africans, who played in a way that they did not anticipate. AFCON 2023: Morocco maul ten-man Tanzania”Our game plan failed. We did not anticipate this scenario, but I extend congratulations to Morocco for their outstanding performance and result,” he told CAF Media.The Algerian coach further acknowledged the evident gap in class during the encounter at Laurent Pokou Stadium in San Pedro. “The quality of Morocco’s players made the difference, and they deserved to win.”Amrouche also pointed to injuries before the game as a factor that hindered Tanzania’s aspirations. He explained, “We wanted a positive result, but we faced numerous injuries that didn’t work in our favor. Additionally, we committed individual mistakes.”Despite the setback, the former Harambee Stars coach remains optimistic about Tanzania’s chances of advancing from Group F. “I’m trying to stay positive. We will address our mistakes from this game and shift our focus to the upcoming matches,” he affirmed. “It won’t be easy, but we still have a chance.”Tanzania’s next challenge comes against Zambia, the 2012 AFCON winners, on January 21st in a crucial group encounter. Following this humbling defeat, Amrouche faces the daunting task of quickly revitalizing his team to pursue progression, as he had targeted before the tournament. Their final match will be against DR Congo.AFCON 2023: Ivory Coast vs Nigeria, Egypt vs Ghana highlight Thursday actionAFCON 2023- GROUP STAGESaturdayIvory Coast – Guinea B. 2-0 (1-0)/Fofana 4, Krasso 58/SundayNigeria – Equatorial Guinea 1-1 (1-1)/Osimhen 38 – Salvador 36/Egypt – Mozambique 2-2 (1-0)/Mohamed 2, Salah 90+7 pen – Witi 55, Bauque 58/Ghana – Cape Verde 1-2 (0-1)/Djiku 56 – Monteiro 17, Rodrigues 90+2/MondaySenegal 3-0 Gambia (1-0)/Gueye 4, Camara 52, 86/Cameroon 1-1 Guinea (0-1)/Magri 51-Bayo 10/Algeria – Angola 1-1 (1-0)/Boundedjah 18 – Mabululu (p) 68/TuesdayBurkina Faso – Mauritania 1-0 (0-0)/Traore 90+5/Tunisia – Namibia 0-1 (0-0)/Hotto 88/Mali – S.Africa (0-0)/Traore 60, Sinayoko 66/WednesdayMorocco – Tanzania 3-0 (1-0)/Saiss 30, Ounahi 77, En Nesyri 80/Dr Congo – Zambia 1-1 (1-1)/WIssa 27 – Kangwa 23/Thursday games17:00 (2.45) Equatorial Guinea (3.05) Guinea-Bissau (3.15)20:00 (2.15) Ivory Coast (3.25) Nigeria (3.90)23:00 (2.05) Egypt (3.25) Ghana (4.30)***odds are subject to change***
