KAMPALA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Djibouti have improved their chances of qualifying for the semifinals after defeating Burundi 2-1 in a Group A Council for East and Central African Football Associations (CECAFA) Senior Challenge Cup match played on Wednesday.
The lowly ranked Djibouti as per the FIFA rankings scored in each half to become second in Group A behind hosts Uganda.
Mahdi Houssein netted a brace for Djibouti, while Landry Ndikumana scored for Burundi.
Burundi created several scoring chances but failed to convert them. The Burundi team became the first to exit the tournament after losing to Uganda, Eritrea and now Djibouti.
Julien Mette, the Djibouti coach said he was impressed with his players' positive attitude.
"Like I said this tournament is helping us prepare the team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers," he added.
Burundi's assistant coach Miad Charmake blamed his team for the loss.
"It is a game we should have won, but my players underrated the Djibouti team," added Charmake.
Defending champions Kenya are the only team that have so far booked place in the semifinals after beating Tanzania and Sudan.
The regional tournament that has attracted nine teams will climax on Dec. 19 with the finals.
