Tanzania confirmed their rising international football status when they held 2006 World Cup qualifiers Angola 1-1 in a friendly international in Dar es Salaam last weekend.

Tanzania confirmed their rising international football status when they held 2006 World Cup qualifiers Angola 1-1 in a friendly international in Dar es Salaam last weekend.

Gaudence Mwaikimba gave the east African country a 28th minute lead, which they held until six minutes from full-time when Andre Mateus punished a defensive mix-up by firing past goalkeeper Juma Kaseja.

Furious Tanzania coach Marcio Maximo from Brazil told reporters: "The team performed well and deserved to win. However, amateurish errors by a couple of our defenders gifted Angola an equaliser."

Luis Oliveira Goncalves, the coach who stunned Africa by steering the Angolan Palancas Negros (Black Antelopes) to the World Cup in Germany at the expense of star-studded Nigeria, praised his opponents.

"I did not expect our team to be placed under so much pressure.

"This is not the Tanzanian team I used to know. They played excellent football and we were grateful to come away with a draw," conceded Goncalves.

In other international friendlies, Burkina Faso continued their fairytale ride with a 2-1 win over Algeria, while Ghana held Australia to a 1-all draw in London.

Highlights of these games will be on the African Soccer Television show on SABC Sport's Laduma programme on Sunday at 3pm.

Luck also favoured titleholders FAR Rabat of Morocco when they drew 1-1 with Etoile Sahel of Tunisia at the weekend in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup final. - Sapa-AFP and Sello Rabothata