Tanzanite Queens must fight for their last chance

DAR ES SALAAM: THIS is no time for excuses, no time for fear and certainly no time to give up.

The Tanzanite Queens have one final chance to keep their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup dream alive and that chance must be seized with both hands.

Defeats to Brazil and England have left Tanzania with little room for error, but those results must not become an excuse to surrender.

Quite the opposite: they must become the fuel for one final, determined fight. Tanzania lost 4-1 to Brazil and 5-1 to England.

The scorelines hurt, and there is no point pretending otherwise. But football is also a game of opportunities, and one remains. Canada have only one point. Tanzania must seize the moment. A victory is not merely desirable; it is essential.

A draw would be a bitter disappointment because the Queens need maximum points to give themselves the strongest possible chance of progressing to the knockout stage. The tournament format offers a lifeline.

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The top two teams in each group qualify automatically, while the six best third-placed teams will battle for the remaining four knockout-stage places.

That means the points collected in this final match could prove priceless. But before calculating permutations, Tanzania must do the simple thing: win.

There can be no fear, no hiding and no waiting for another team to do us a favour. The Queens must pull up their socks, play with courage and believe that Canada can be beaten. This is the moment for every player to stand tall. Every tackle must matter.

Every run must have purpose. Every chance must be attacked with conviction. And when the final whistle comes, Tanzania must have left everything on the pitch. The dream of reaching the knockout stage is still alive.

It may be hanging by a thread, but a thread is enough when there is belief. So, Tanzanite Queens, go for it. Win for the badge. Win for the nation. Win for the dream. The first two matches are history. Canada is the mission. Nothing less than victory will do.