SIMBA fought to a frustrating barren draw with Congolese giants TP Mazembe, in the first leg of CAF Champions League quarterfinal clash at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Playing in front of packed venue with close to 60,000 fanatic supporters, Simba will live to rue hosts of wasted opportunities including a missed penalty by skipper, John Bocco that could otherwise, have given them the perfect cushion going into the return leg in Lubumbashi, DR Congo next Saturday.
Regardless, Simba have maintained their unbeaten home record in this year’s campaign of the continental top tier club championship but they will have to avoid defeat and score in Lubumbashi, to stand any chance of making it to the semifinals.
Any draw involving goals will be enough to see Simba through into the semifinal, while a barren draw will see the teams separated on penalties. The game took a while to heat up, but in the space of a few minutes, one brilliant play on each side got things going.
Just four minutes into the game, Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal ignored a loud penalty shout from Mazembe players, adjudging it to a ghost challenge.
Striker, Jackson Muleka danced past central defender, Pascal Wawa but stumbled as he attempted to round off goalkeeper, Aishi Manula. Referee awarded him yellow card for cheating.
However, in the process Simba were forced to make early changes as they lost Wawa, who picked an injury and was replaced by Jjuuko Murshid.
From then, TP enjoyed a spell of possession as Simba chased shadows. The Msimbazi Street lads slightly came into the picture in the 9th minute, when playmaker, Clatous Chama forced his way into the box and played a cut in pass that found no team mate in the box to finish off. In the 15th minute, a nice display by Haruna Niyonzima almost produced an opener for Simba.
After a give and take move, the creative attacking midfielder turned swiftly and set up Mohammed Hussein but the left wing back fired a diagonal shot narrowly wide.
Three minutes later, Hussein fouled goal bound Abdoulaye Sissoko, at the edge of the box but veteran Tresor Mputu blazed wide from a resultant set piece.
TP Mazembe were a more threatening side going forward as they created more clear scoring chances and took control of the midfield. Simba Coach, Patrick Aussems packed the midfield, where the likes of James Kotei, Jonas Mkude, Niyonzima and Chama all started but Simba operated more on the flanks, where Hussein and Zana Coulibaly frequently pushed forward, plying high and wide.
Simba ought to have gone ahead in the 31st minute but a superb bicycle kick attempt by Meddie Kagere, came off the post. The deadly striker arrived to a clever pass in by Coulibaly to take a sharp overhead kick.
From the resultant, melee Simba shouted for a penalty as it appeared that the ball came off defender’s hand but the referee ignored.
After the break, Simba started strongly and in the 48th minute Bocco raced to a clever long pass from Niyonzima but his cracking shot hit the side nets with goalkeeper, Sylvain Gbohouo well beaten.
Bocco will live to rue a missed clear chance in the 53rd minute after he set clear by Chama three yards out but the lanky striker fired straight to the clutching legs of the Ivorian keeper.
Immediately thereafter, Chama was replaced by Emmanuel Okwi and Simba won a penalty in the 57th minute after Kagere’s shot came off a defender’s hand.
Bocco stepped up but he fired agonisingly wide. With six minutes to go, Okwi almost found the back of the net with a well taken set piece but his shot went inches wide.
And, Simba survived a real scare a minute before the final whistle. Niyonzima lost possession in the centre of the pitch and Meschak Elia set up Glody Likonza whose shot came off the far post.
In another match, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns did not just beat the African club of the century, Egyptians Al Ahly but they humiliated them 5-0.
The score could have been more as Hlompho Kekana and Themba Zwane were denied by the woodwork and they failed to capitalise on a few good scoring chances.
Not many teams score five unanswered goals against this Egyptian giant but Sundowns produced mouthwatering football of elegance and grandeur to put themselves in a good position to qualify for semis.
