Africa-Press – Tanzania. DESPITE cruising into the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) quarterfinals, Young Africans Head Coach Nasreddine Nabi said injuries and sickness of the team’s key players affect his game plan.
A 2-1 win over Biashara United at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday night propelled Yanga into the last eight stage of the ASFC as they await which side they will face in the battle for the semifinal spot.
Yannick Bangala and Fiston Mayele were on the scoreboard for the Jangwani Street side while Collins Opare netted Biashara United’s consolation goal in the 38th minute of the first half, but it was too little to save the sinking ship.
This was the fourth meeting between the two sides in the ASFC and Nabi’s charges have excelled in all instances to stamp victories against the Mara based outfits whose journey into the competition ended on the day.
“Today (Tuesday), we missed about 10 players due to injuries and sickness. That is why our performance is different from game after game because of rotations we are compelled to make. “The good thing is that we have stepped into the last eight and are looking forward to playing whoever comes on our way,” said Nabi whose attempt to clinch the ASFC title last season failed after losing 1-0 to holders Simba in the finals.
He also pointed out that winger Jesus Moloko has joined the list of injured players he has in his squad. Moloko was substituted for Dickson Ambundo after picking up a leg injury during the match. Concerning their next NBC Premier League match versus Mtibwa Sugar at Manungu Complex in Morogoro on February 23rd, Nabi said they will go back to the training ground to thoroughly prepare for the game.
On his part, Biashara United venom striker Atupele Green said they committed several mistakes on the day and they will be corrected ahead of their next Premier League fixtures.
“I think our coach (Vivian Bahati) and his entire technical bench have seen where things went wrong in our team and they will rectify the problems so that we do well in the upcoming fixtures,” he said.
He then seized the platform to defend himself for not scoring a goal on the day saying he trained with the team for only one week hence he was not 100 percent fit to cause damage.
To reach this stage, Biashara United stunned Mbeya Kwanza 2-1 and it was the same score line which they suffered from Yanga that sent them packing. Biashara United were among the Tanzanian teams that played in the Confederation Cup last season.
Also qualified into the quarters are Polisi Tanzania, Coastal Union, Kagera Sugar, Geita Gold, Azam and Yanga. All six teams are eagerly waiting to see their opponents after a draw to be conducted soon.
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