Africa-Press – Tanzania. YOUNG Africans eventually sealed treble after defeating Coastal Union 4-1 in post-match penalties to clinch the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) title at Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium in Arusha on Saturday.
ASFC throne was the third trophy for the Jangwani Street Boys after the Community Shield and the NBC Premier League silverwares. It was the first time ever for the ASFC finals to be decided on penalties after 120 minutes of normal play plus extra time ended 3-3 making the encounter a dramatic one.
Coastal Union’s Abdul Selemani made a unique record as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in the ASFC finals after netting in the 10th , 87th and 98th minutes.
For the champions, Feisal Salum, Heritier Makambo and Denis Nkane were on target to help their team complete a treble mission of the season and formaly finished the season without losing any match in the domestic league. However, despite being dominated, the Tanga based giants got one clear chance in the 10th minute which was fruitfully used as they netted the opening goal to make their opponents have a big mountain to climb.
The game started on a front pedal no wonder each side conceded set-piece from the edge of the box within three minutes of opening time but neither utilised the opportunity to take the lead.
Yanga had a couple of scoring chances in the first half of the tense encounter but most of them were off the target making Coastal Union goalie Mussa Mbisa the busiest player on the day.
It was an entertaining game as each team approached the match with a winning mentality knowing in advance that the glittering trophy was just off the pitch waiting to be seized at the end of normal play.
To reach this far, Coastal Union defeated Azam 6-5 on post-match penalties after 120 minutes of play (normal plus extra time) elapsed goalles thereby attracting penalties to separate the two sides.
It was therefore a 50-50 encounter meaning that even Azam had a chance to sail into the finals but they lacked that opportunity on the day which went in favour of their opponents.
On the other hand, Yanga eliminated their traditional rivals Simba courtesy of a 1-0 triumph at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza in one of the thrilling semifinals of the contest.
It was not an easy throne for Yanga as they had to rely on penalty shootout to win as Coastal Union played superbly in all 120minutes of the game. Still it was the most enjoyed 6-goal thriller that has not been witnessed in any past finals. Coastal Union’s loss has benefited much Geita Gold since it has awarded them a ticket to play in CAF Confederation Cup in 2022/23 season
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