Simba rejoice, unrest at  Vipers

SIMBA  Assistant Coach Juma Mgunda said the 1-0 victory over  Vipers has given them the confidence to achieve their desired target in the group stage of CAF Champions League contest.

The Msimbazi Street Reds picked a worthy  away triumph courtesy of the  20th-minute goal netted by Henock Inonga at St Mary’s Stadium in Kampala, Uganda over the weekend.

The two teams meet again on March 7th (Tuesday) at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam for another sparkling group C match with each team targeting to claim maximum points.

Thereafter, the country’s envoys will remain in the city to take on Horoya at the same venue on March 18th before travelling to Morocco to face Raja Casablanca in their last assignment of the group stage.

However, speaking after landing at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in the city yesterday, Mgunda said they had to win the Saturday’s encounter in order to get back into the competition.

“It was a tough game especially to us because we had no point in the group that is why we put it everything on the pitch for the purpose of claiming positive results.

“Now, we can see light at the end of the tunnel…we have two important back to back home matches of which we need to fully focus on them so that in the end, we should pocket six points.

“We are aware that the games are going to be tough but we are required to undergo ample preparations so that we can succeed in the end,” said Mgunda.

He then seized the chance to applaud Simba fans who travelled from Dar es Salaam to Uganda to cheer their team including Tanzanians living in Uganda for their unwavering support.

Also, Simba’s playmaker Clatous Chama said team spirit was the main ingredient which enabled them to stamp the away win while insisting that they will continue to work hard in their next matches.

“We are happy to have won but, the battle is not yet over. We must focus our energy towards the upcoming encounters so that we can also produce good results and proceed to the quarterfinals,” he said.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Vipers coach Roberto Pelliser, who is yet to win a game as the defeat has definitely put him on a tight corner.

Before Simba’s match, some media outlets from Uganda reported that a negative outcome could see him being sacked.