YOUNG Africans intensified their Premier League title race following a slim 1-0 victory over hard fighting Mtibwa Sugar at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
It was also a lucky day for the Congolese import, David Molinga who netted the winner early in the second half to earn his team the much needed victory.
Substitute Ditram Nchimbi, who replaced Patrick Sibomana in the early second half, provided the crucial assist, he fed Molinga who was timely positioned inside the box and the Congolese coolly sliced the ball into the back of the net.
The goal was Molinga’s sixth in the progressing league and he is still the team’s current top goal scorer.
The victory has earned the former champions 31 points garnered from 16-match outings and as well it has made them climb to the fourth position behind Namungo FC, Azam and the top riders Simba SC.
It was also a sweet revenge for the reformed Yanga squad after losing to Mtibwa Sugar 1-0 in their last league encounter in Morogoro in April 2019.
Yanga also lost to Mtibwa Sugar 3-2 on the postmatch penalties in Mapinduzi Cup semis and Mtibwa Sugar went on to win the silverware after eliminating Simba in the epic final.
Records show that Yanga and Mtibwa Sugar have met 15 times since 2011/12 season. Yanga have won seven times while Mtibwa Sugar have sealed wins in four matches.
The teams shared spoils in four matches. The game started aggressively with both teams creating dangerous moves at each other’s territory but none could manage to get an opening goal.
Rwandan import Sibomana had a goal disallowed in the 2nd minute of the game for an offside which turned out to be an advantage to the visitors.
Mtibwa Sugar were relying on slow build-ups towards their hosts’ goal, but most of their attempts, though looked lethal after crossing the middle of the terrain, ended in vain.
For the visitors, their best chance was in the 6th minute when Ally Yusuph’s long-range effort narrowly missed the target.
Again, in the 13th minute, Yusuph forced Yanga shotstopper Metacha Mnata to make the reflexive save for a fruitless corner, but Mtibwa Sugar strikers poorly utilised it.
In the 42nd minute, Mtibwa Sugar had twin dangerous corner kicks which troubled Yanga defence, but both of them were cleared away. At the re-start, Yanga looked likely a team to get the goal any moment and that came true in the 50th minute when Molinga converted the much awaited goal.
However, the goal scorer was benched in the 68th minute for Yikpe Gislain, who also had a couple of chances into the match. In the 71st minute, Mnata was again forced to make a daring save to keep his side safe from letting in an equaliser.
There were three other matches staged in the different venues yesterday. At Samora stadium in Iringa, second-placed Azam came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with relegation threatened Mbeya City.
At Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma, Tanzania Prisons defeated KMC 1-0 while Polisi Tanzania also posted an away 1-0 win over JKT Tanzania yesterday.
