The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Clara Alphonce
9 March 2011
Morogoro — A second half goal by substitute Ahmed Ally Shiboli gave Simba a 1-0 win over relegation-haunted Ruvu Shooting in the Mainland Premier League match at Jamhuri Stadium here yesterday.The agile striker scored the goal four minutes to time after he was set up by on-form Ugandan international Emmanuel Okwi.
The hard-earned victory, the first since battling to a one-all draw with their arch-rivals Young Africans last weekend, means Simba are now back on the driving seat of the topflight league after staying on the wings for three weeks.They now top the elite league with 41 points from 18 outings, two points above their closest challengers Young Africans, and five ahead of third-placed Azam FC.
Yanga, gunning to wrest the league title from the Msimbazi Reds, have been sidelined until tomorrow when they face struggling JKT Ruvu at Uhuru Stadium.Simba, needing a win so as to topple Yanga, went on the offensive right from the outset, but had trouble in converting their numerous chances into goals.In the first 10 minutes, they went close to scoring severally, but their shots either went straight into the waiting hands of the army team’s shot stopper, Gudhard Misheku, or missed target, the culprits being Mussa “Mgosi” Hassan, Rashid Gumbo and Mbwana Samatta.
Ruvu Shooting, who conceded a defeat of the same margin to Yanga a fortnight ago, played their hearts out in yesterday’s game and they briefly put Patrick Phiri’s men at bay early on in the second half.For Simba, the match was part of their preparations for their African Champions League match against DR Congo’s TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi later this month.
Phiri’s lads will this weekend face AFC at the Sheikh Amri Memorial Stadium in Arusha in what will be their last match before heading off to Lubumbashi for the anxiously awaited TP Mazembe clash.In his post-match press conference, Phiri admitted that it was a tough game and heaped praise on his players for the win.”I knew that it could be a tough game because Ruvu Shooting badly need wins in all their remaining matches so as to avoid the drop when the league comes to an end next month,” the Zambian said.
He said they expected a similar resistance from AFC in Sunday’s match, but he remained optimistic that his team would overcome the Arusha-based team.His Ruvu Shooting counterpart Charles Boniface Mkwasa blamed the defeat on poor finishing, saying his players fluffed many clear-cut chances.Ruvu Shooting are placed 10th in the 12-team league table with 15 points from 18 games, four points above the bottom-placed AFC.
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