Things we learnt from Tanzania's league first round

The Mainland Premier League is back, with the opening round producing impressive displays from rejuvenated Young Africans and defending champions Simba.

Title contenders Azam FC, newly-promoted Biashara United, Kagera Sugar, Mbao FC and Ndanda FC also made winning starts.

Here are four things we learned from the 2018/19 Premier League first round.

Makambo service lifts Yanga

“Right now, it’s Makambo and 10 others,” one Young Africans official said when asked about the Congolese striker’s sublime display in their match against Mtibwa Sugar.

Makambo’s quality was there for all to see during the tense clash at the National Stadium on Thursday.

His superb header in the 30th minute steered the Jangwani Street giants to a deserved 2-1 win over the Morogoro-based team.

Simba live up to title hype

Coach Patrick Aussems has warned Simba’s Premier League rivals that the Msimbazi Reds are still well below their peak despite their impressive start to the 2018/19 season.

Meddie Kagere opened his account for the new campaign as Simba backed up pre-season hype they can retain the title by squeezing a slim but vital 1-0 win over Tanzania Prisons on Wednesday.

Kagere, who joined Simba from Kenya’s Gor Mahia in a reportedly lucrative deal, has hit the ground running and was also impressive for his new team during the pre-season.

His second minute goal was all Simba needed to silence Prisons at the National Stadium. Prisons have a habit of unsettling supposed superior teams.

Azam FC go top

Azam FC underlined their credentials as serious contenders for the Premier League crown with an eye-catching 2-0 demolition of Mbeya City at Azam Complex on Thursday night.

The ice cream makers tie on three points with Simba, Yanga, Kagera Sugar, Biashara United, Ndanda FC and Mbao FC, but they are ahead on goal difference.

It was the perfect way for Azam to kick off their bid to dethrone champions Simba, who bolstered their squad significantly during the transfer window.

But Hans van Pluijm’s men, who won the Mainland title in the 2013/14 season, will have to surmount a wide variety of obstacles before they can get their hands on the trophy.

Biashara Mara show steel

Newly-promoted Biashara Mara may not have spent anything in the transfer market, but they coped easily enough with Singida United in their 1-0 win at the Namfua Stadium on Wednesday.

Biashara are among few top tier outfits that did not rope in vastly experienced or foreign players during the transfer window.

And the team’s technical bench will need a tougher test than this to prove Wednesday’s win at Namfua was not a fluke.