‘I am not excited to play Yanga in the semifinals’, says Simba coach
Yusuf Mhilu celebrates after scoring Simba's third goal against Pamba on Saturday, May 14 at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium
What you need to know:
- This will be the third time that the sides meet this season and Pablo’s third competitive derby after the previous two ended in barren draws.
Dar es Salaam. Simba Sports Club on Saturday, May 14, set up a date with arch rivals Yanga after they beat Pamba FC 4 -0 to qualify for the semifinals of the Azam Sports Federation Cup.
After keeping Simba’s attack at bay for over 40 minutes Pamba’s defense was finally breached by Peter Banda’s shot in the 44th minute to open the flood gates.
The opener was followed by goals from Kibu Denis and another two goals from Yusuf Mhilu in second half to seal the defending champions place in the semifinal.
However, despite the qualification Simba’s head coach Pablo Franco Martinez in a post-match interview said he would have preferred to play Geita Gold in the semifinals instead of Yanga whom they played 14 days ago.
“I am not excited to be playing Young because you know what these kind of games mean, I would have preferred to play Geita Gold who were kicked out of the competition with dubious penalty,” he told Azam TV.
This will be the third time that the sides meet this season and Pablo’s third competitive derby after the previous two ended in barren draws.
Yanga has lost the past two meetings in the ASFC with Simba including last year’s finals which was played at Lake Tanganyika Stadium, Kigoma.
With Yanga eight points clear of Simba in the NBC league with plenty still at stake, the ASFC remains Simba’s only realistic opportunity for silverware this term
The Tanzania FA Cup (also called the Azam Sports Federation Cup) is the top knockout tournament of the Tanzanian football.
Previously, the Nyerere Cup was the top knockout tournament. It was created in 1974 and was contested by teams from both Tanzania mainland and the Isles of Zanzibar.
