Singida Utd shine, Mtibwa held

Dar es Salaam. Mtibwa Sugar remain unruffled at the summit of the Mainland Premier League table despite dropping two vital points in their one-all draw with Ruvu Shooting yesterday.

Ruvu Shooting seemed set to hand Mtibwa their first defeat of the season when they went one up two minutes into the game through striker Zubery Dibo at the Mabatini venue in Coast Region for a 1-0 half time lead.

Mtibwa Sugar levelled matters three minutes before the hour mark through Stamili Mbonde.

In Dodoma, a second half goal by Zimbabwean forward Tafadzwa Kitunyi through a penalty is all Singida United needed to down Kagera Sugar 1-0.

Referee awarded Singida the spot kick in the 87th minute and Kitunyi made no mistake with it, sending goalkeeper Juma Kaseja the wrong way at the Jamhuri Stadium.

The goal enabled the Singida team to move four places up the ladder.

The game started at a cracking pace with both teams pressing up front in turn in search of the match-opener.

Singida should have taken the lead in the 14th minute when Kitunyi broke through, but with Kaseja lying helpless on the ground, he contrived to shoot wide.

They now sit second in the league table with nine points, one adrift of leaders Mtibwa Sugar, and one of third-placed Simba and Young Africans.

Fourth-placed Yanga, who beat Ndanda 1-0 at the Uhuru Stadium on Saturday, tie on eight points with their arch-rivals Simba, but they are behind on goal difference.

On Thursday, Simba squandered the chance to topple Mtibwa after they were forced to a 2-2 draw by Mbao FC at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.

Azam, who were expected to face Lipuli at the Chamazi Complex in another league match, can leapfrog Simba, Yanga and Singida should they win.

”It’s disappointing,” Mtibwa Sugar coach, Zubery Katwila, said after their match against Ruvu Shooting.

”We had chances to score in many moments of the game, especially in the second half,” he said.