Simba bows out of champions league after loss to TP Mazembe

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian champions Simba Sports Club today were eliminated from the CAF Champions league quarter final stage after losing 4-1 to Congolese side in Lubumbashi.

Two goals on either side of the half time ended Simba’s dream of reaching the semi finals of the lucrative continental showpiece.

After a barren draw in the first leg in Dar es Salaam a week ago, Simba got the dream start they had hoped for when Emmanuel Okwi latched on to Haruna Niyonzima’s through ball to score in the second minute of the game.

This was against the round of play, the goal silenced the home crowd and at that point the impossible seemed possible.

The early setback seemed to have inspired TP Mazembe into digging deep and in the 23rd minute TP got the equalizer through Chongo after some lousy marking in the six-yard area.

Elia Meshack who proved to be a thorn in Simba’s defense got the Congolese side their second on 38 minutes after a muzzy solo run off the left flank, sending the Mazembe fans into frenzy.

Simba’s shaky back line was to ship in two more after half time with Tresor Mputu and Muleka on the score sheet as Simba’s defenders Juuko Murshid and Zana Coulibaly had a day to forget.

The defeat extended Simba’s poor performance away from home during the group stage of the tournament where they conceded 16 goals against 1

Simba will now turn their attention to the domestic league where they are third with nine games yet to play whereas their archrivals Yanga FC are left with seven to finish the league.