Premier League encounters stalemate start
MWANZA: DODOMA Jiji and the newly-promoted Pamba Jiji shared the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza as the 2026/2027 Mainland Premier League campaign kicked off with high-octane drama.
Both sides deployed an aggressive brand of direct football from the opening whistle, treating supporters to a relentless, end-to-end spectacle in Mwanza.
The visitors, Dodoma Jiji, carved out the game’s first real opening in the 12th minute when the lively Beno Ngassa was slipped through just outside the 18-yard box.
His snapshot was well gathered by Pamba goalkeeper, Erick Johola, but as well served as a warning sign.
Just five minutes later, Ngassa broke the deadlock. Latching onto a precise delivery from William Edgar, the forward saw his initial effort blocked but showed superb persistence to sweep the rebound into the back of the net while falling to the turf, making it 1-0.
Pamba Jiji responded valiantly and found their equaliser in the 24th minute through a chaotic sequence. Ibrahim Ngecha’s deep cross looked destined to go out of play but somehow spun back into danger. A subsequent Dodoma strike forced a sharp parry from Johola, only for Deogratius Mafie to react quickest, smashing the loose ball home to level the scoreboard at 1-1.
Ngassa kept on tormenting the Pamba backline from the right flank, but the hosts had chances of their own.
In the 38th minute, Zabona Mayombya cut inside from the left, danced past two defenders and unleashed a curling effort that required a fine flying save from the Dodoma custodian.
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Just before the interval, Idd Kipangwile’s corner found Ngassa, but the opening-goal scorer failed to hit the target.
The second half maintained a frantic tempo early on, with Ngassa continuing to prove a thorn in Pamba’s side through heavy dribbling, though his final heavy touch let him down in the 50th minute.
After the hour mark, the relentless pace finally began to take its toll, prompting both managers to shuffle their packs, including withdrawing Ngassa in the 66th minute.
The ‘grand finale’ arrived at the 85th minute when Dodoma’s Gadiel Michael unleashed a thunderous long-range strike. Johola fingertipped the ball at full stretch, diverting it onto the crossbar before it bounced back into play, ensuring a thrilling opening-day fixture ended with a well-deserved point apiece.
