YOUNG Africans Assistant Coach, Boniface Mkwasa said they will keep pushing at least to claim remaining 33 points that will decide their title fate.
Yanga have now remained with 11 games that will give them 33 points if they succeed to win all of them.
Mkwasa said that in reaction to one point Yanga garnered on Sunday when they were forced to a 1-1 draw with Namungo FC at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, Lindi.
The draw placed Yanga 20 points behind the league leaders and traditional rivals, Simba SC.
Up next, Yanga face second-placed Azam FC in another thrilling encounter with three points separating the two sides as the former eye to revenge after losing 1-0 in the first round match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
However, speaking after the game, Mkwasa said despite being held to the draw, they will keep on fighting to end the marathon at the top place while at the same wishing misfortunes to Simba and Azam who are placed above them.
“Its true that our chance to win the title is slim, but the most important thing to us is to fight hard to continue climbing up the log and that can only be achieved if we do well in upcoming encounters,” he said.
He then blamed the referee for blowing the whistle when his charges made a promising counterattack during the match on condition that Namungo goalkeeper was on the ground.
On his part, Yanga striker Tariq Seif said he has not yet reached his full potential and is still fighting to get there.
“I want to promise Yanga supporters that very soon, I will reach my full potential but for now, I am yet to get there,” said Seif, who scored the opener for Yanga on the day. Asked how many goals he would like to score this season, Seif replied that as many goals as possible.
Namungo FC Head Coach, Hitimana Thiery said giving Yanga enough space to play was the first mistake his side made since it enabled them (Yanga) to get a quick goal early in the first half.
“As you know, most of my players are those who graduated from the First Division League (FDL) to the top flight league as such, they were prone to minor mistakes as the game unfolded,” said Thiery.
He added that in the second half, the intensity among his players grew to the extent that they were able to equalise and dominate the match by creating many scoring chances.
Also, his striker Bigirimana Blaise, who leveled the deficit to make the match end in a balance of 1-1, said it was a good game basing on the fact that they played against one of the big teams in the country.
“We created several scoring opportunities especially in the first half only that we lacked efficiency on the target,” said he.
From what is seen as far as the 20- team table is concerned, interesting battle will be among three teams which are Azam, Yanga and Namungo who are fighting neck to neck to finish within the top two places on the log.
Coming up, Namungo take on Kagera Sugar with another opportunity to collect maximum three points and pile pressure on Yanga and Azam respectively.
