Steve Barker, Rushine De Reuck and Neo Maema see league title hopes fade after Simba draw with Young Africans in Kariakoo Derby
The South Africans’ pursuit of more silverware hit a significant roadblock on Sunday night as The Lions played out a pulsating 2-2 draw against rivals Yanga. Despite a flying start they were unable to hold onto their lead, leaving them trailing the pace-setters at the summit of the Tanzania Premier League.
Former Sundowns stars handed starts
In a high-stakes encounter that could define the destination of the league trophy, coach Steve Barker looked to familiar faces by handing starts to former Mamelodi Sundowns duo Rushine De Reuck and Neo Maema.
The South African influence was clear from the onset as Simba aimed to build on their recent Muungano Cup final victory over the same opponents less than a week ago.
The match exploded into life after just two minutes when Libessa Gueye gave the home fans reason to celebrate.
Gueye showed exceptional skill on the near side, dropping a shoulder to evade his marker before clinical finishing from a tight angle to put Simba ahead.
The momentum stayed with Barker’s men, and they doubled their advantage just seven minutes later through Clatous Chama.
Yanga fight back in derby thriller
Chama, the Zambian international, timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and latched onto a direct ball behind the defensive line. He finished the move with an acrobatic strike, seemingly putting Simba in total control of the derby.
However, Young Africans refused to fold and found a lifeline before the interval when Prince Dube pounced on a cross from the right to volley into the bottom corner.
The goal shifted the dynamic of the contest, and while Simba took their lead into the break, the momentum had swung toward the visitors.
The uphill task facing Yanga was conquered just five minutes into the second half when captain Bakari Mwamnyeto let fly with a powerful effort that rattled the back of the net to level the scores at 2-2.
Barker’s tactical changes fail to find winner
With the game on a knife-edge, Barker looked to his bench to find a spark, making the bold decision to sacrifice goal scorer Chama for Elle Mpanzu in a refreshed offensive alteration.
Despite the change, it was Yanga who came closest to snatching all three points in the final ten minutes when Dube fired a low shot narrowly wide of the far post.
The final whistle confirmed a share of the spoils in a result that does little to help Simba’s championship aspirations.
The draw leaves Barker’s side five points behind Young Africans with the matches beginning to run out, leaving the league leaders as firm favourites to retain their crown.
After the euphoria of their recent cup success, this result serves as a sobering reminder of the gap still to be closed in the league standings.
What comes next?
Steve Barker, Rushine De Reuck and Neo Maema will need to pick themselves up from this disappointing result and prepare for their next league encounters. If they can put a strong winning run together in the last 10 matches of the season, they can take advantage of any stumbles by Yanga.
The rest of the campaign starts with two winnable home fixtures against JKT Tanzania (May 6) and Tanzania Prisons (May 10).
Then they hit the road for Mashujaa (May 14) and Coastal Union (May 21).
May’s final fixture is another home match against Dodoma Jiji (May 24).
Source: GOAL
