Africa-Press – Tanzania. AFTER converting the final spot kick that handed Young Africans the Mapinduzi Cup championship, Saido Ntibazonkiza has pledged to bring more success at the club when he becomes 100 per cent fit.
Yanga defeated Simba 4-3 in an explosive traditional derby at a fully packed Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar on Wednesday night to add one more trophy to their cupboard.
The normal 90 minutes of play produced no winner as the two sides recorded a barren draw hence; penalties had to be played to find the new champions of the annual tournament.
For Simba, Meddie Kagere and Joash Onyango missed their shots while Yanga’s DR Congo import Mukoko Tonombe saw his strike expertly saved by goalkeeper Beno Kakolanya.
“I did not train for the past three weeks and I was just 50 per cent well to play for the whole 90 minutes. I believe that when I become fully fit, I will be able to contribute for more successes at the club. “The coach always trusts me and when I was told that my services are required for this game, I did not hesitate to do it. Even my fellow players requested me to be part of this big game,” said him.
He added: “I am thankful that the coach, teammates and members of the club always have the belief that I can do something great for the club. What I can assure them is that when I get 100 per cent fit, I will make them happy.”
He therefore seized the chance to laud the person who nicknamed him ‘Antibiotics’ saying it has made him famous in the country’s football circles.
On his part, Yanga second choice goalkeeper Farouk Shikalo who had an outstanding performance throughout this year’s Mapinduzi Cup chapter by saving one shot, thanked his coach for trusting him to play all four games of the contest.
Commenting on the spot kick he saved from his fellow Kenyan Onyango, Shikalo said confidence was the main tool which made him to repeal his strike and not the fact that he knows him better.
For Simba, caretaker coach Selemani Matola narrated that the defeat has no way demoralised them in their quest to defend the Premier League title this season.
“We can never be put out of focus for losing today’s (Wednesday) match and the next move for us is to prepare for the upcoming fixtures and aim to do well,” he said.
Elaborating on Bernard Morrison who was seen warming up in the second half of the game signalling that he was about to be introduced into the game, Matola said he was not physically fit to withstand the tempo of the match.
Concerning the plight of some players who were featured by his side for trials, Matola said they will make final assessment of their overall performance when they sit together with the management.
