YOUNG Africans Head Coach, Luc Eymael said he saw the defeat coming as his players lost concentration during the first training session they had after beating their traditional rivals Simba SC last week.
Yanga suffered a 1-0 setback from KMC in the Mainland Premier League match on Thursday at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam to miss a chance of stamping a fourth consecutive league win and slightly revive their scant hope to challenge for the title or at least finish second on the table this season.
Coming up, the 27-time champions visit debutants Namungo FC tomorrow at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, Lindi for yet another league tough match and it will be the first time for the two sides to meet in the top flight league.
Despite the downfall, Yanga are unmoved from the third place on the ladder with 50 points, one point above fourth placed Namungo FC hence tomorrow’s clash will be a good judge between the two sides.
With the victory, KMC moved up to 16th place on the ladder with 30 points after 28 games and it was the much needed win for them to remain safe from the relegation zone.
Briefing reporters after the game, Eymael disclosed that he told his players to pay attention and not be like Real Madrid, who beat Barcelona 2-0 during their El Classico match and thereafter went on to lose to a small team—Real Betis.
“Unfortunately here in Tanzania, when you win a derby match, it’s like you have won the world cup. I kept telling my players that what is the need to beat Simba and lose after?”Eymael asked angrily.
He went on: “It is very bad what happened today (Thursday) but I saw it coming since the first training session after Simba match. Even before the game, I told them to focus much on this encounter that it will not be easy but they chose not to play according to my instructions.”
Commenting about the next fixture against Namungo, Eymael said he hopes that his charges will bounce back from what he called ‘bad defeat’.
“They (players) were in the sky, dreaming and flying because they beat Simba. What is Simba? You get three points from them and it is over. Well, you beat Simba, it is fine and you need to stick to the plan of play for next matches. Today, they did not stick to the plan of play,” he said.
He then wished the national team Taifa Stars all the best in their 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers two legged clash against Tunisia and in Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) finals to be played in Cameroon.
Earlier, during the press briefing, the Belgian queried why some teams in the league are allow their Assistant Coaches to speak during the postmatch interview, while for him, he is not allowed to do that a thing he described as unfair.
On his part, KMC Assistant Coach Habib Kondo said their game plan to collect three points from Yanga worked very well.
“From the position we are, it is very important to win every match that comes on our way so as to cement our chances of remaining in the league next season,” he said.
KMC will host Alliance FC tomorrow at Uhuru Stadium in the city with another opportunity for both teams to bag in vital three points as the championship slowly reaches the finishing line.
