Yanga break 30-year jinx after defeating Majimaji

Dar es Salaam.  Young Africans moved to within a point of Mainland Premier League leaders Simba with a 1-0 win over Majimaji FC  at the Majimaji Stadium in Ruvuma yesterday.

A 14th minute goal by striker Deus Kaseke is all George Lwandamina’s men needed to beat the Songea team for the first time in 30 years.

The victory means Yanga remain second in the league standing with 43 points, one adrift of their traditional rivals Simba, who take on Mtibwa Sugar today at the Jamhuri Stadium in Morogoro. 

It also came as a timely relief for Yanga fans, who were left puzzled when their team bowed out of the 2017 Mapinduzi Cup in Zanzibar.

The Jangwani Street boys last beat stubborn Majimaji in 1987 to win the Mainland league.

Majimaji, who were seeking to win the league for the third time, went down 1-0 to the Dar es Salaam outfit.

Yanga scored the lone goal through Abeid Mziba off a Mwinda Ramadhani cross.

Majimaji, then one of the top clubs in the country, won the Mainland league in 1985 and 1986.

For years, Majimaji have been beating Yanga almost at will at the Majimaji Stadium.

In one of their recent matches, Yanga survived an onslaught before settling for a 2-2 draw with the Songea side.

In yesterday’s game, Yanga, needing a win to appease their disgruntled fans, made a bright start.

But they had trouble in breaking down then hosts’ defence which was built around Saleh Mohamed, Mpoki Mwakinyuke, Keneddy Kipepe and Bahati Yusuph.

A seconds into the game, Yanga almost went one up when their Burundian striker Amissi Tambwe broke through, but his shot was parried off goalkeeper Agathon Anthony for an abortive corner.

Another chance for the Yanga to break the stalemate came in the seventh minute when Simon Msuva’s close-range shot narrowly missed target.

On resumption, Majimaji were a more aggressive side and ought to have levelled matters in the 63rd minute when Idd Kipwagile latched onto a Saleh Mohammed, only to see his shot go a few centimetres wide.