Photo Credit - Simba SC Tanzania.
Simba SC Media Officer Ahmed Ally has explained their 6-0 thrashing of Dodoma Jiji in a rescheduled Mainland Premier League fixture was meant for rivals Young African (Yanga SC) and not the Dodoma-based club.
Before Simba went into the pitch for the game in hand, they were previously scheduled to face the Citizens in an eagerly-awaited Kariakoo derby but the game was postponed after Simba raised a complaint with the Tanzanian Premier League Board (TPLB).
The Msimbazi Reds had threatened not to honour the game after Yanga, who were the home team, denied them access to train at the matchday venue, a day prior to the derby. With the game postponed, Simba shifted focus to the Dodoma Jiji game, and they passed with flying colours as they raced into a 3-0 lead at the half-time break.
Ellie Mpanzu scored Simba’s opener early in the 16th minute and doubled their lead in the 21st minute through Jean Ahoua. Just a few seconds before the end of the first half, Ahoua scored Simba’s third goal that earned them a 3-0 lead at the breather.
The second half saw Simba coming back with determination to score more goals, and their efforts paid off in just two minutes after the restart through Ugandan international Steven Mukwala. Denis Kibu scored Simba’s fifth goal in the 58th minute from Mpanzu’s assist, before he scored the sixth in the 67th minute.
However, speaking after the game, Ally said the goals they scored against Dodoma were to be scored against Yanga, but their rivals survived the thrashing by a whisker.
“Our 6-0 win against Dodoma Jiji went to a wrong team, in fact, we had planned to score six goals against Yanga SC, we had prepared adequately to hammer Yanga, but the game was postponed (for reasons everyone knows),” Ally told Pan-Africa Football.
“The game against Dodoma Jiji was the game in hand because Dodoma had been involved in an accident before the game was postponed. So we had planned to score six goals in our final game before the international break and if you look at the fixtures, Yanga’s fixture was supposed to be the last one.
“It is unfortunate Dodoma found themselves in the mix, they suffered a defeat which was not meant for them, the huge defeat was not meant for them, but it was meant for Yanga, they (Yanga) should count themselves very lucky.”
The victory enabled Simba to move within a point of Yanga at the summit with 57 points from 22 outings.
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