The men’s national team of Macau lost 6-0 to Tanzania on Sunday in the second edition of the FIFA Series, extending their winless streak in official matches to nearly seven years.
The match was played in Kigali, which is hosting two FIFA Series groups, a friendly-style competition between national teams. The African side opened the scoring in the 16th minute through an own goal by Amâncio Goitia, a player from Benfica de Macau.
At Amahoro Stadium, Tanzania doubled their lead in the 26th minute through defender Bakari Nondo Mwamnyeto, before Mudathir Yahya made it 3-0 just before halftime. In the second half, Paul Peter scored in the 56th minute, Novatus Miroshi added a fifth in the 74th, and Tarryn Allarakhia sealed the result in the 87th minute.
Tanzania currently ranks 112th in the FIFA rankings, while Macau sits in 193rd place among 210 national teams. Among Portuguese-speaking countries and regions, only Timor-Leste ranks below Macau.
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Nuno Pereira, a player for Portimonense in Portugal’s second division, stood out in Macau’s starting lineup as the only foreign-based footballer among the 25-man squad.
This marked Macau’s 14th consecutive official match without a win since June 2019, when they defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 at home in a World Cup qualifier, with a goal from Filipe Duarte. However, the team was later disqualified after the Macau Football Association chose not to play the second leg in Sri Lanka following the April 2019 bombings.
After the pandemic, Macau was among the last national teams to return to competition, only resuming in March 2023 after a nearly four-year break due to the “zero covid” policy.
Portuguese-Angolan coach Lázaro Oliveira stepped down in September 2024 after two defeats against Brunei eliminated Macau from qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup. Since August 2024, FIFA has required a Macau passport — granted only to permanent Chinese residents — to represent the team, a decision that excluded several players, including former captain Nicholas Torrão and Filipe Duarte.
