Africa-Press – Tanzania. SIMBA reopened a threepoint gap at the summit of the Mainland Premier League after a thrilling 3-1 win over Namungo at Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, Lindi yesterday.
The defending champions came stronger in the second half to produce another massive comeback which saw them firing all three goals to bag in maximum three points from a difficult venue.
Goals from Chris Mugalu, substitutes John Bocco and Bernard Morrison were what Simba needed to keep alive their hopes of retaining the top flight silverware for the fourth time in a row.
Morrison’s spectacular 88th minute goal was the talking subject after the match, as he fired from a long range close to the centre circle to beat Namungo goalkeeper Jonathan Nahimana, who in the first half was not dangerously troubled.
With the victory, Simba have now collected 64 points from 26 matches to put themselves on a good path of winning the prestigious league title for the 22nd time in the history of the club.
The introduction of Bocco, Morrison and Hassan Dilunga was the turning point for the Reds, who looked sharp upfront and their confidence grew to produce something tangible from the match.
After piling pressure, Mugalu levelled matters in the 78th minute to reinstall hopes for the reigning champions of returning home with vital maximum points, and his goal opened gates for two more goals to the Reds.
Bocco again put his name on the score sheet in the 84th minute before Morrison put the game beyond reach in the 88th minute of the classic match.
However, in the opening half, what seemed a hard to break Simba backline was finally exposed in the 21st minute when Steve Nzigamasabo put his side in front from a close range finish.
Thereafter, it was the Ruangwa based club who enjoyed the lion’s share until the break. Morrison was introduced at halftime, replacing Mzamiru Yassin, a deliberate switch for Simba Head Coach Didier Gomes to get some creativity upfront.
In the 55th minute, Kagere also missed a sparkling chance after failing to use a well delivered Mugalu cross.
In the 57th minute, skipper Bocco was deployed, replacing Kagere as the clock ticked for the champions to source an equalising goal and perhaps win the encounter.
Hemed Morroco adjusted his line-up in the 59th minute, calling to the bench Ibrahim Abdallah for Stephen Sey, reinforcing the striking department.
In the 68th minute, Gomes rested Larry Bwalya for Hassan Dilunga to recharge the battery for the visiting side, and his introduction brought life to Simba.
Simba looked comfortable to play their grass cutter passes and did well to command the midfield battle over the hosts, but most of their penetrating passes were easily dealt with by Namungo defenders.
The best opportunity for Simba came begging in the 15th minute courtesy of a set piece at the edge of the penalty box but Louis Miquissone’s volley slightly missed the target, to the relief of the home side.
Earlier before the match, Simba Assistant Coach Selemani Matola admitted about the passing away of Clatous Chama’s wife, hence the reason why the Zambian locomotive midfielder missed the match. “It is true that the wife of Chama has passed away in Zambia.
Yesterday (Friday), Chama requested the club to go to Zambia to attend to his sick wife, but unfortunately, this afternoon (yesterday), we received the sad news of her death,” he said.
He added that as a club, they were expected to meet after yesterday’s encounter to see how they can participate in this difficult period for their key player.
The two teams met for the first time this season as the campaign nears its finishing line, with many teams remaining with five matches to play.
However, each of them had big responsibilities of representing the country in CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, but they were eliminated at different levels.
For Simba, they performed very well in the champions league by dragging themselves into the quarterfinals where they bid farewell to the competition after a 4-3 aggregate loss to Kaizer Chiefs.
On the other hand, Namungo got eliminated from the confederation cup after reaching the group stages after losing all their six matches in group D.
It was however the first time for Namungo to parade in such big football event on the continent, but they will have to wait for a long time as all chances for them to possibly play in the international games next season have been misused.
