Feisal: Determination key role in win vs Prisons

YOUNG Africans hero and skipper Feisal Salum said  determination was key to their late victory over Tanzania Prisons on the day while his counterpart Jumanne Elifadhili revealed that they were not sharp on the target.

Yanga had to wait until in the 90th minute to produce a slim 1-0 win over the Mbeya-based giants who as usual embraced defensive play and relied on counter-attacks thereby making it hard for the former to break through.

The impact of substitute Bernard Morrison who was introduced later into the game was felt as he spiced up the offensive part of his side causing panic among Tanzania Prisons defenders until they finally exposed them up.

From 14 games, the Jangwani based club have collected 35 points with 11 wins, two draws and one defeat as they expect to face Namungo in their last match of the first round at Majaliwa Stadium in Lindi tomorrow.

For Tanzania Prisons, the outcome was a bitter pill as it was their sixth loss of the campaign and from 15 games, they have managed three wins plus six draws to collect 15 points. This shows they are still staggering and are yet to get their balance.

“It was a tough game as you saw but we kept on pushing until we finally scored the winning goal… I can say that determination was what helped us to generate such a convincing victory and we are all happy with that,” said Feisal who captained the team on the day.

Yanga’s Assistant Coach Cedric Kaze applauded his charges for the fighting spirit they showcased on that day while admitting that was not a simple task to unlock Tanzania Prisons defence.

“We knew that they will come with a defensive approach of which they executed well making it difficult for us to make a breakthrough. However, we never gave up as we kept on knocking and finally, the door opened up for us to net the important goal,” he said.

On his part, Prisons skipper Elifadhili simply said they were not able to convert into goals possible scoring chances they produced as the match unfolded while insisting they will be better in their next assignment.

“I think we created more scoring opportunities than them but lack of sharpness on the target prevented us to generate something tangible from the game, we are still fighting as the league continues,” he said.

His Head Coach Patrick Odhiambo conceded the defeat while commending Yanga for the victory of which he said was a deserved one as his charges were caught napping in the closing stages of the game.

“They have individual brilliant players who are capable to transform the game at any moment as it unfolds. What I can say is that a good team has won the match. For us, we need to stay focus to do well in other upcoming fixtures,” he said.