Mutani Yangwe

Mwanza-based Under-20 football team belonging to Tanzania Street Children Sports Academy have kicked off their Germany tour on an impressive note last week.

The team now competing in the Germany Inselcup kicked off the tournament with a 2-2 draw score line as they played the opener against favorites 1860 Munich in Berlin.

Speaking in a telephone interview from Germany, Mutani Yangwe, the executive director of Tanzania Street Children Sports Academy, said the match was played at Mannheim Stadium.

He said his side played well against the German youth team which is ranked among the best five youth teams in the country.

Yangwe said his team trailed by a fourth minute goal and eleven minutes later the Tanzania team pulled an equaliser through Saidi Hassan as the teams were level up to the half time mark.

Barely two minutes after resumption, Tito Jonathan scored for the Mwanza side but the German side cancelled the lead with a potential equaliser nine minutes later.

He said the game was very difficult as both teams played well, amid his side displaying impressive show.

Yangwe has expressed optimism over some of his players who are likely to strike deals with some German teams or top European youth clubs.

“Our team really played well against a big and well organised youth team. The way my team played gives me confidence that some of our players will land deals with top clubs here,” he said.

In Group A matches, he said SV Waldhof Mannheim 07 of Germany lost 2-0 to H.N.K Hajduk Split of Croatia and German Youth Side SPVGG 03 lost 7-0 to Karlsruher Sports Club of Germany.

Twenty Under 20 teams from Europe are competing in the three-week tourney aimed at providing exposure to young players.