Burundi and Uganda Crested Cranes made winning starts as the CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship kicked-off at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru, Uganda today.

The Burundi team humbled 10-man Djibouti in the opening Group A match, while Uganda also stopped Rwanda 2-0 in the second match of the same group.

In the opening match Sandrine Niyonkuru put Burundi in the lead after 30, before Joelle Bukuru made it 2-0 six minutes later.

Djibouti who were playing a highly defensive approach had Nadia Nour sent off three minutes to half time for a bad foul. In the second half Niyonkuru netted her second of the day with a beautiful volley after 90 minutes.

The Burundi head coach Gustave Niyonkuru said he was happy to start the tournament with a win and not conceding. “We need to keep improving in every match,” added the coach.

Hassan Kako Mohamed, the Djibouti coach said although they lost the match, his team tried to play good football against a strong side.

In the second match Fazila Ikwaput netted in each half to make sure the hosts pick maximum points. Ikwaput who was also the top scorer in the just ended FUFA Women’s League scored after 39 minutes and four minutes into the second half.

The forward Anne Marie Ibangarye also had some chances at goal, but missed the target.

Uganda’s coach George Lutalo said that they played against a very strong and physical Rwanda team. “It is good to start with a win in such a tournament and we want to continue yet another good performance when we face Djibouti on Friday,” added Lutalo.

On Thursday Zanzibar will take on Ethiopia in the first Group B match, before Tanzania, the 2019 runners-up battle South Sudan.

The regional tournament, the first on the CECAFA 2022 calendar has attracted eight teams. - Confédération Africaine de Football