Compesino yearns for smarter build-ups

DAR ES SALAAM: NGORONGORO Heroes Head Coach Mario Rivera Campesino has demanded his charges to eliminate high-risk maneuvers from their defensive buildup play.

He cited several structural and positioning errors although they comprehensively gained 4-0 victory over Ethiopia in the 2026 CECAFA U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The commanding win successfully propelled Tanzania into the highly anticipated tournament semifinals.

“We need to improve the way we handle the ball in our build-ups and avoid taking unnecessary risks like ones we took in the first half when some players were in the wrong positions,” the Spanish tactician warned after the match.

The veteran coach observed that his youthful squad took dangerous chances in their own territory that invited unwanted pressure and allowed the Ethiopians to mount multiple dangerous threats early on.

Campesino explicitly acknowledged that the Ngorongoro Heroes suffered a severe lapse in concentration during the initial exchanges of the encounter.

“And now we start the match a bit sleepy, for the first 15 to 20 minutes we were out of the match,” the coach admitted openly.

Despite the early structural instability and struggling to find an active rhythm, the master tactician praised the squad’s clinical counterattacking execution, noting their immense capability to punish defensive lapses.

“We can do high press, we can do offensive transition like today; we were struggling a bit and then in two transitions we killed them,” he explained.

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While the opening half exposed developmental vulnerabilities, Campesino reaffirmed that his staff is dedicated to polishing the teenage players.

“The players are in developing age and it’s normal that sometimes they don’t have our own distance, but we are here to improve,” he added.

Ultimately, Campesino expressed complete confidence in his team’s psychological resilience.

“The important thing is that this team can handle all the situations during the game and this is not easy. The performance is good,” he stated.

The tournament action intensifies tomorrow at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Group A winners, Ngorongoro Heroes clash with Group C leaders, Burundi, while Group B heavyweights, Uganda, face best runners-up Sudan.