AfricaPress-Tanzania: IT is a frustrating ‘week of results’ for Simba Sports Club after losing their second Mainland Premier League straight match to Ruvu Shooting, following a 1-0 defeat at Uhuru Stadium.
The result continues an appalling run for Sven Vandenbroeck’s unkind week, whose side also lost points in their league trip to Sumbawanga at the expense of Tanzania Prisons.
Yanga have on the other hand celebrated Azam FC’s 0-1 defeat to hosts, Mtibwa Sugar in Morogoro on Monday as they could not accelerate further to the league table.
Jaffary Kibaya halted Azam FC’s clean sheet of playing seven matches without losing when he scored an all important goal in the 62nd minute.
The defeat, however,leaves Azam at the top with 21 points as Yanga, who have won two consecutive matches under the reign of newly hired Burundian coack, Cedric Kaze are second with 19 points.
Failure to score against well drilled Ruvu Shooting Stars means Simba are losing further ground in the chase for the league’s leadership.
“It is a very frustrating week for the club fans because of losing two matches in a row,”
“ We need to focus on next match and move ahead,” said a roving midfielder, Jonas Mkude after the match.
The Simba-JKT Ruvu Shooting match took off forcefully with either sides, missing several clear chances to their dismay.
Simba, despite having in onboard some of recent injured players, striker John Bocco and roving defenders, Ivorian Pascal Wawa and Shomari Kapombe, could not contain a pressure from their opponents.
The trio, with the inclousion of last season’s best scorer, Rwandan Meddie Kagere were not part of away defeat to Mbeya’s Tanzania Prisons.
But their return was a relief for the Belgium tactician, though they could not delilver to their fans’ expectations.
Ruvu Shooting, however, still had to overcome the defending champions containing the likes of Benard Morrison and John Bocco at the frontline and mounted pressure throughout.
Their efforts paid off when Fuly Zully Maganga sent home a goal that lasted in the 90th mimute.
Simba failed to take the advantage against the 10-man Ruvu when Shaaban Msala was sent off for a foul play in the 72nd minute.
John Bocco failed to score what could have been an equaliser in the 79th minute after his penalty shot hit the post for a replay before the Ruvu Shooting defenders thwarted the move.
Meanwhile, Tanzania Prisons have continued their prowess after edging out Dodoma Jiji FC 0-1 to jump to Simba’s third place with 15 points as the reigning champions have now dropped to the fourth place with 13 points.
