Author: BENJAMIN BEN
AfricaPress-Tanzania: SIMBA defender Erasto Nyoni said he was upset after his defensive line conceded three goals in their 3-2 loss to vibrant Mbao FC on Thursday at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The current top goal scorer Meddie Kagere pumped in his 20th goal of the season via a spot kick after being silent for a long time as far as goal mouth action is concerned.
Also, Miraji Othman was on the scoring chart for the champions courtesy of his piercing header which came from the corner kick but they were little against those scored by Rajab Rashid, Waziri Junior and Donald John who scored for Mbao.
It was the fifth straight win for Mbao in the unfolding league as they fight to avoid relegation of which they can manage to resist only if they win all their upcoming fixtures and at the same time hoping that other teams above them should drop points.
However, despite bagging important three points, Mbao are unmoved from their 19th place on the table with 38 points, only a point behind Mbeya City who have collected 39 points in their 35 encounters played.
But, in a post-match briefing, Nyoni said he felt sad that they let their opponents to tear apart their defensive line three times on the day.
“In football, there is no big or small team and the way we prepared this game was different with the way we did against Young Africans. All in all, we have lost and the next thing is to focus on our Sunday’s match. “As a defender, I am upset with the outcome but Simba fans should not lose hope since we have other games coming ahead for us to do well,” Nyoni who captained his side on the day said.
On his part, Mbao coach Felix Minziro said he came with the attacking mentality and not to defend that is why they were able to net three goals against what he said a quality team.
“If we had lost today’s (Thursday) match, our chances of remaining in the league next season could have been over that is why we need to thank God for helping us to win,” Minziro said.
He also pointed out that the tendency of Simba to feature irregular players on the day made the game more difficult for his side saying they (Simba players) played hard to win trust of the coach ahead of next season as other players will definitely be released.
“I have partial celebrations because despite winning five games in a row, we are still 19th on the table hence we need to produce another spirited performance against JKT Tanzania Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma in our next match,” he said.
He then conceded that financially, Mbao are not fit attributing to the fighting spirit of his players to the encouragement he give them plus full support from Mwanza people who support the club.
Up next, Simba face Alliance FC tomorrow at the National Stadium in the city as the latter wants to continue climbing up the ladder from their current 14th slot with 41 points.
