Author: BENJAMIN BEN
AfricaPress-Tanzania: YOUNG Africans Head Coach Cedric Kaze was full of praise to his charges despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Simba in their derby at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.
Yanga who hosted the first tense traditional derby match stamped a leading goal in the first half via a spot kick which was expertly taken by striker Michael Saprong before letting the visitors equalise in the 86th minute courtesy of a glancing header from defender Joash Onyango.
Both players netted their first goals in the traditional derby encounter hence they had all reasons to put smiles on their faces after the sweaty 90 minutes of shoulder to shoulder and footwork action staged at a well attended 60,000 capacity venue.
But, at a post- match press briefing, Kaze reiterated that his players were in good mood on the day and highly deserved to win the match basing on the clear chances they missed.
“From the way we played, I regret that we failed to grab all three points from the game as we controlled well the first half by depriving our opponents freedom to enjoy midfield dominance where they usually launch their attacks. “We succeed to hold their lethal players who are capable to cause problems at anytime during the match,” Kaze whose side is yet to taste defeat in the ongoing Premier League campaign said.
He added that in the second half, Simba were more composed than them a thing he said contributed to the equalisation goal which came in the late stages of the encounter.
Again, the Burundian trainer disclosed that he lacks a depth bench meaning that players who can add momentum when they are introduced to replace their tired or injured colleagues.
“All in all, let me congratulate my players for fighting hard against three times league champions who have been together as one team for a long time but we are the ones who finished the game with a regret of why we failed to win,” he said.
His Simba counterpart Sven Vandenbroeck said the outcome was a victory for them saying their rivals (Yanga) had one more day of midweek preparations than them.
“Today (Saturday), Simba showed both tactical and mentality strength to fight to the last second of the game something which is a big plus for them. “I repeat that this feels like a victory because maybe in the end, we deserved to win,” said the Belgian coach while admitting that in the first half, their tempo of play was low.
Furthermore, Vandenbroeck narrated that the referee was cutting the tempo most of the times but in the second half, he said they were able to win the match rythm in all sections.
Meanwhile, pundits have urged Simba to be aggressive enough if they want to shine in the forthcoming CAF Champions League (CAF CL) duels set to begin at the end of this month.
They said facing Yanga was a good test for them to assess which areas they need to polish up in their team prior to the commencement of the biggest continental club football showpiece.
