Africa-Press – Tanzania. YOUNG Africans midfielder Feisal Salum has dedicated his first goal of the season he scored against Kagera Sugar on Wednesday to his mother saying he loves her a lot.
Yanga produced a slim 1-0 away victory at Kaitaba Stadium in Kagera to launch their 2021/22 Premier League season on a front pedal as they bagged maximum three points from the difficult venue.
“It was a tough game as you saw but we thank God for making us winners today. I dedicate my first goal of the season to my mother because I love her so much,” said Feisal who was honoured with the captaincy armband in absence of skipper Bakari Mwamnyeto. His trainer Nasreddine Nabi said he was not totally impressed with the performance of his team though the gathered three points were the most important on the day.
“We were good in the first half but things changed in the second half due to various reasons like the high intensity match we played on Saturday against Simba of which we used a lot of energy. “We knew that in the second half, we will not perform well that is why we pressed hard in the first half in order to control the game in the second stanza,” Nabi said.
His counterpart for Kagera Sugar Francis Baraza showered his praises on his charges saying they played very well throughout the match and that they lost to a good team. He added that there are some things he noted during the game which he will correct before making their first away trip of the campaign to confront Namungo at their Ilulu Stadium in Lindi on Sunday.
Up next, the record 27 times champions will face the newly promoted side Geita Gold at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday with another opportunity to extend unbeaten run of the season to two matches if they will grab all three points.
Geita Gold will be seeking answers after losing 2-0 on their top flight league debut match versus Namungo at Ilulu Stadium on Monday hence they will not be willing to go down in two back to back fixtures. Meanwhile, reports Meddy Mulisa in Bukoba that Kagera Sugar Head Coach, Francis Baraza has commended his side for a gallant spirit during their Premier League match against Yanga.
“It was a tough match. We started the game as under dogs but my boys put up a gallant fight. They played according to my instructions especially in the second half. Yanga is a big team. Our next away assignment will be against Namungo FC on Friday. I will be able to correct some of the mistakes.” he said.
Yanga Assistant Coach, Cedric Kaze, on the other hand, showered praise on his team for winning the match.
“It was important to start the league season on a sound note. Kagera Sugar is a good side and we respect them,” he said.
