DAR ES SALAAM: SIMBA’S Head Coach, Fadlu Davids , applauded his team’s 1-0 win over Pamba Jiji, underscoring that the victory was crucial to boost morale ahead of their upcoming CAF Confederation Cup match against Bravos of Angola this Wednesday.
In a hard-fought match at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza, Simba secured a slim victory through a first-half penalty from Leonel Ateba.
The win over Pamba Jiji was important, not only for the league standings, but also as part of their build-up for the upcoming continental challenge.
Speaking after the victory over, Davids highlighted the importance of the win in boosting the team’s self-confidence ahead of their upcoming international fixture.
“I believe this victory will boost the players’ confidence as we head into the Bravos game. They will now go into the international match feeling more assured,” Davids said.
Despite the victory, the coach noted that the pitch conditions were not ideal for his players. To avoid the risk of injuries, especially with an important game on the horizon, he made several changes in the second half.
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“The pitch was not perfect, so I made adjustments to manage player safety and minimise any risks of injury as we prepare for Wednesday’s game,” he explained.
Regarding the penalty, which was converted by Ateba instead of the team’s top scorer, Charles Ahoua, Davids echoed that the team’s primary goal was to win, not focus on individual scorers.
There had been questions as to why Ahoua, with five goals to his name, did not take the spot-kick. “The priority is the team’s success.
Who scores the goal is not the main focus,” Davids clarified. Meanwhile, Pamba Jiji’s Head Coach, Fredy Felix Minziro, voiced his frustrations with the match referee, Hussein Katanga, claiming that more time should have been added for stoppages.
“The players were wasting time and going down to delay the game. Two extra minutes was not enough. The game should be played for 90 minutes, add at least seven minutes to make up for the time lost,” Minziro said.
