TWO second half goals saw run away Mainland Premier League leaders, Simba ease past a determined KMC side at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Congolese attacker, Deo Kanda and Brazilian holding midfielder, Gerson Fraga netted a goal apiece as Simba opened a seven point lead at the summit of the league.Following the victory, Simba have now reached 31 points from 12 outing, sitting seven points clear of second placed Kagera Sugar, who have played 13 matches.
Simba are also ten points ahead of their traditional rivals, Young Africans, who have played ten matches so far.It was an impressive start from KMC, as they went toe to toe with Simba, frustrating the giants by cutting their slick movements with the ball especially in the midfield.A positive start from the KMC nearly led to an early breakthrough when Kenny Ally forced his way into the box but shot wide.
Simba came into the picture in the 14th minute, when Kanda twisted to beat two KMC defenders making his way into the penalty area before appearing to be pushed but was shown yellow card for simulation in the box.Then, in the 27th minute Ibrahim Ajib’s set piece failed to hit the target and four minutes later KMC’s Hassan Kabunda blazed the set piece wide.
In the 36th minute goalkeeper Jonathan Nahimana, who produced a number of fine saves, easily collected Mohamed Hussein’s feeble free kick. Simba nearly got a breakthrough in the 40th minute, following a nice interplay and Hussein set up Ajib but the playmaker fired wide.
Two minutes before the interval, Kanda wasted another clear scoring opportunity after racing clear of the defender but his shot flew over the bar.The Msimbazi Reds returned from the break determined. Immediately after the break, Kanda put Simba ahead.
Sublime skill from Hassan Dilunga as he teased Ally Ramadhani on the right side and the attacking midfielder drilled in a low cut back pass inside the area for Kanda on the edge of the penalty area before turning and arrowing a low shot past keeper Nahimana.
Moments after the eventual opener, Simba nearly added the second in the 48th minute, when Mohammed Hussein drilled a cross that found Meddie Kagere, who saw his side-foot effort blocked in the nick of time by defender Abdallah Mfuko.
In the 54th minute custodian Nahimana kept KMC alive with a reflexive save from Kagere’s header off a nice cross in from Hussein. Kagere had an otherwise a quiet game yesterday.Simba maintained pressure with so much of pregnancy of hope that they would finish the game with bigger margin and in the 63rd minute, Kanda cleverly outpaced defender Kelvin Kijiri, and his chip in pass was finger tipped by goalkeeper.
Then, Simba introduced Clatous Chama for Ajib, while Francis Kahata replaced Dilunga as Simba upped the tempo, searching for more goals.But the hosts should have perhaps pulled level in the 70th minute, as Simba survived a scare when Kenny Ally got on the end of Ramadhani Kapera’s ball into the box, but goalkeeper Aishi Manula was well placed to collect the ball.
In the 75th minute, Chama turned defender Mfuko set up Kahata and the Kenya midfielder forced Nahimana to a full stretch to parry off the shot to a corner kick. Lively Chama rounded off the keeper in the 80th minute but his shot was blocked off the line by a defender.
A minute later, Ally Ramadhani almost pulled level with a fierce shot that was palmed away to a corner kick by Manula.Simba continued to look for that second goal, in the 86th minute, Kanda produced possibly a miss of the season after latching onto a Chama’s pass and with a yawning net to score; the former TP Mazembe forward poked his finish just way wide.
With a minute to the final whistle, Nahimana pushed away Kahata’s low shot to a corner kick after receiving Chama’s defence-splitting through ball.However, there was still time for Simba to net the second, when Fraga found the low angle with powerful low shot to the right of the keeper. The league will continue today at the Ushirika Stadium in Moshi, where hosts Polisi Tanzania will face Azam FC.
