Title race goes down to the wire

DAR ES SALAAM: IN a clash worth of a title-race thriller, Simba SC edged past Singida Black Stars with a narrow 1-0 victory at the electric KMC Complex Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday evening, a result that keeps the pressure firmly on league leaders Young Africans.

The situation becomes more tense, as the two Dar es Salaam and Tanzanian giants have a game between them next month, a Dar es Salaam Derby that was postponed in March for what was termed as significant concerns over safety, security, and match integrity.

And who else to deliver the decisive blow yesterday but Simba’s talisman, Steven Mukwala, the Ugandan striker who unleashed a thunderous right-footed strike that lit up the stadium and silenced pundits and punters alike.

His goal not only secured three vital points, but also rekindled Simba’s hopes of snatching the crown in the dying embers of the season.

Simba now sit just one point behind Yanga, with 72 points from 27 matches, compared to Yanga’s 73 but with a nine-goal difference deficit.

With only three matches remaining for each team, the Tanzania Mainland Premier League title contention race has never been tighter, as it goes down to the wire.

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Fresh off a gruelling CAF Confederation Cup final just 48 hours earlier, Simba showed immense resilience. Head Coach Fadlu Davids praised his side’s mental strength over flair.

“It’s not always about playing beautiful football, it’s about mentality and the will to win. The boys dug deep, covering over 11.5 kilometres each. It was a battle of heart and grit,” Fadlu said.

On the opposite touchline, Singida Black Stars Head Coach David Ouma wore frustration on his sleeve. Post-match, he criticised the officiating, suggesting that several key moments swung unfairly in Simba’s favour.

“If decisions had gone the right way without bias, we could have at least drawn, or even won as there were clear moments the referee failed to call,” Ouma said.

The loss stalls Singida at 53 points from 28 matches, missing a golden opportunity to close the gap on thirdplaced Azam FC, who currently hold 57 points.

A win would’ve cut the gap to just one point, intensifying the race for a top-three finish. With Simba boasting 23 wins, 3 draws and just a single loss, and Yanga at 24 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, the smallest slip-up by either side could decide the title.

The road to glory is razorthin, each substitution, each goal, each referee whistle now carries weight that could shape history.

As Mukwala’s name echoes through Msimbazi Street and beyond, Simba fans dare to dream again.

The crown may still return to Msimbazi but which side of the city it lands on remains the Premier League’s most captivating question.