YANGA OUT.

Yanga moved third of the table on Saturday, following a 2-0 win over hosts Lipuli FC at the Samora Stadium in Iringa. Yanga have collected 31 points, seven behind leaders Simba, and two points behind second placed Azam FC.

Going into today’s match, George Lwandamina’s side will definitely be eager to maintain their winning formula and on papers they are clear favourites to win the match against the bottom placed side Njombe Mji. The Njombe lads are placed 16th on the log with 13 points from 16 matches. A win for Yanga today, will see them move above Azam to second on the table and close gap to within fourpoint with Simba.

Both Simba and Azam will be on the sidelines until tomorrow when they face off at the National Stadium in what most soccer pundits said will shape the destiny of either side towards the title race. Definitely, the Msimbazi Reds will put their fingers crossed, praying that Yanga drop points today, for them to maintain comfortable grip at the league summit, a position they have enjoyed for the most part of the league this season.

As the league enters 17th round, it was still too early to predict the destination of the title but certainly, Simba, Yanga and Azam will remain as clear favourites. Twenty five goals were netted in the opening of the second round of the Mainland Premier League, shattering the 19-goal record stamped in the first round’s opener. The 25-goal festival created an average of three goals per match, the highest average ever recorded this season.

This evidences either an improve in marksmanship or porous defending system among the teams taking part in the league. Still, the round 16 couldn’t go near the seven goal thriller netted by Simba in their 7-0 win over Ruvu Shooting in the league opener. Also likely to stay long unbeaten is Emanuel Okwi’s four-goal haul he notched in the league opener against Ruvu Shooting on August 26th last year.

Simba supporters and fans who watched the Sunday’s clash against the team they beat 7-0 expected a replica when the two teams met again but it ended 3-0. This time, Okwi failed to score and was substituted in the first half after being elbowed by Mau Bofu. The best from round 16 was a five-goal thriller posted at Namfua Stadium in Singida where hosts Singida United defeated Mwadui 3-2.

Chamazi Complex in Dar es Salaam where hosts Azam entertained Ndanda FC saw four goals being netted in the hosts’ 3-1 win over Southern Tanzania visitors. Three goals were each scored in three venues at the end of the 16th round. At Majimaji Stadium in Songea, where hosts Majimaji FC suffered a 2-1 loss to visiting Mbeya City on Saturday, while at the Kambarage Stadium in Shinyanga, hosts Stand United defeated Mtibwa Sugar 2-1 in a three-goal thriller.

There was another threegoal thriller at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza, where Mbao beat Kagera Sugar 2-1. Another high end scoring was notched by defending champions Yanga with a 2-0 victory over hosts Lipuli FC at the Samora Stadium in Iringa and a similar win for Tanzania Prisons against Njombe Mji at the Sokoine Memorial Stadium in Mbeya.

Race for ‘golden boot’ award was also intensified. Simba’s lanky striker John Bocco’s brace against Ruvu Shooting on Sunday saw him posting nine goals, closing the gap with leading scorer, Okwi to only three goals.