Africa-Press – Tanzania. SIMBA SC Chief Manager Dimitar Pantev has praised his team’s 3–0 away win over Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs but stressed there is still work to be done.
The manager made the comments following the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round match at Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba on Sunday.
Pantev acknowledged the result as an important step but emphasised the need for improvement if Simba are to progress further in the competition.
“The result is positive, but if we are talking about level of football, I’m not very happy. We have to do it far better if we want to go far in this tournament and I know that we can do it better,” Pantev said.
The win puts Simba in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Dar es Salaam, where Nsingizini would need to score at least four unanswered goals to advance to the group stage.
Pantev expressed concern about the team’s overall performance, particularly in the first half.
He suggested pressure may have affected the players, even though Simba entered the tie with confidence as the more experienced side.
He pointed to the goal before halftime as a turning point, which allowed Simba to settle and find more control in the second half.
However, he also noted challenges in breaking down Nsingizini’s defensive setup, made more difficult by what he described as a small pitch that suited the hosts’ approach.
Pantev was critical of Nsingizini’s style of play, saying the opponents spent much of the match trying to disrupt the game rather than build attacks.
He stressed that Simba would use the time before the return leg to address their mistakes and prepare more effectively.
Meanwhile, Singida Black Stars Head Coach Miguel Gamondi reflected on his team’s 1–1 draw against a Burundian side, admitting that his team let victory slip through their fingers due to minor errors.
A goalkeeping mistake gifted the opposition an equaliser after a defensive lapse, something Gamondi vowed to correct ahead of the second leg.
“We were supposed to win, but small mistakes cost us. We’ll fix them,” he said, adding that the draw still leaves them with a fighting chance to progress to the group stage.
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