Tanzania U17 Women’s coach Bakari Shime opines that the red card against his side in the opening match contributed a lot to the 4-0 loss to Japan on Wednesday at the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 in India.Neema Paul Kinega was given her marching orders after just 20 minutes of play, with Serengeti Girls being left to play for the better part of the game with a numerical disadvantage.FT’ Japan 🇯🇵 4️⃣-0️⃣ 🇹🇿 @serengetigirls #U17WWC @FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/eUQiOGyybP— TFF TANZANIA (@Tanfootball) October 12, 2022 Japan got the lead through Uno Shiragaki in the first half, with Mao Itamura, Ai Tsujisawa, and Momoko Tanikawa grabbing a goal each in the second period to see off Tanzania.”It was a tough game considering it was our first game in the history of the competition and against a very good side. We got a red card on a very key player and that affected us a lot,” Shime said.Despite the loss, Shime further believes that they still have a high chance of progressing to the next stage in their maiden appearance.Wachezaji wa Timu ya Taifa ya Wanawake U17 Serengeti Girls wakiwa kwenye mazoezi ya kurudisha mwili sawa (recovery) baada ya mchezo wa jana wa Kombe la Dunia dhidi ya Japan.@azamtvtz @serengetigirls @FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/LlLlzlBrvI— TFF TANZANIA (@Tanfootball) October 13, 2022 However, he is adamant that the technical bench has a task to help the team recover well ahead of the next match, both physically and mentally to be able to put the loss behind them.”The game taught us so much and gave us a feel of the competition. Despite losing the opening match, I have high hopes of progressing to the knockouts. The main task ahead of us, the entire team and the technical stuff, is to ensure a quick recovery, both physically and mentally before we face France. We watched France and Canada play and it was a very different game but it gave us insights on what to expect,” he added.Tanzania faces France on Saturday before wrapping up the group action with Canada next week, with the group still open after France and Canada played to a one-all draw.
