Simba, Yanga face off tomorrow

Simba head coach Joseph Omog (left) and his Yanga counterpart George Lwandamina. PHOTOS | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Simba and Yanga, whose rivalry is as old as the country’s football history, will lock horns at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar tomorrow night in the clash dubbed ‘battle of the titans.’
  • Simba set up a showdown with Yanga with a 2-0 win over Zanzibar’s Jamg’ombe Boys in their final Group A match at the Amaan venue yesterday. Tomorrow’s match will start at 8.30pm.

Dar es Salaam. Another day of reckoning looms for Young Africans when they go head to head with their traditional foes Simba in the 2017 Mapinduzi Cup semi-finals.

Simba and Yanga, whose rivalry is as old as the country’s football history, will lock horns at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar tomorrow night in the clash dubbed ‘battle of the titans.’

Simba set up a showdown with Yanga with a 2-0 win over Zanzibar’s Jamg’ombe Boys in their final Group A match at the Amaan venue yesterday. Tomorrow’s match will start at 8.30pm.

The Msimbazi Reds would up their group stage campaign as Group A leaders with 10 points. Second-placed Zanzibar’s Jang’ombe Boys and Taifa jang’ombe tie on six points.

Yanga finished runners-up in Group B behind Azam, who beat the Jangwani Street outfit 4-0 on Saturday night.

In yesterday’s game, Simba’s Burundian striker Laudit Mavugo scored twice to five his team a 2-0 win over Jang’ombe Boys.

Mavugo, who joined Simba this season from Burundi giants Vital’O, broke the stalemate in the 11th minute with a sizzling shot that gave Jang’ombe Boys goalkeeper no chance.

The goal was initiated by Shiza Kichuya who beat two defenders before placing the ball to Juma Luizio who, in turn, placed it to unmarked Mavugo for a 1-0 half time lead. Mavugo came into the picture again in the 53rd minute, this time with long range thunderbolt off a Chiza Kichuya pass.

Meanwhile, Azam FC have developed a big-game mentality this season which they proved by inflicting humiliating defeat on Mainland giants Young Africans at the same venue on Saturday night.

“It’s true that it’s no more than three points, no more than another game. But our win against Yanga showed that we have improved and learned from the first round of the Mainland Premier League,” Azam striker John Bocco said yesterday.

“I was very pleased after the game because we showed that we are very competitive.

Line-ups in yesterday’s match:

Simba:- Peter Manyika, Janvier Besala Bokongu/Vincent Costa (78th), Mohammed Hussein, Anbdi Banda, Method Mwanjali, Jonas Mkude, Shiza Kichuya/Hijja Ugando (71st), Muzamil Yassin/James Kotei (46th), Pastory Athanas, Laudit Mavugo/Jamal Mnayte (55th) and Juma Luizio/Moses Kitundu (63rd).

Jang’ombe Boys:- Hashim Ruga, Shomary Ismail, Muharami Issa, Ibrahim Said/Abubakar Ali (72nd), Ali Badru, Yakoub Omar, Abdi Kassim, Khamis Makame, Hafidh Juma, Juma Ali/Ali Suleiman (67th) and Abdulsamad Ali.