GEITA Gold striker George Mpole has intensified his golden boot chase after scoring his 14th goal in their 1-1 draw with Simba at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza on Sunday.
The draw was in another way a relief to the league leaders,Young Africans as their closest challengers Simba dropped two more points after a draw with Geita Gold.
Individually, the match has heightened Mpole who is vying for the golden boot with Yanga's top scorer, Fiston Mayele with 13 goals prior to today's game.
It was another setback for Simba as the draw almost ends their hopes to defend the league's throne this year.
Yanga now need just four points from remaining five games of the league.
After their Sunday's draw, Simba have remained distant second with 51 points, 12 points inferior to their traditional rivals, Yanga with 63 points.
In fourth place are Namungo who parade 37 points followed by Azam with 36 points and Geita Gold at the fifth with 35 points.
The tense encounter saw the hosts scoring first through Mpole, but it did not take too long for Simba to level the matters through Kibu Dennis.
Both teams went to break the scoreboard leading 1-1.
The match generally began hotly and it took Simba less than a minute to raid Geita Gold through Pape Ousmane Sakho whose strike from outside the box was saved by Geita Gold goalkeeper Khomeiny Abubakar.
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Geita Gold responded in the 13th minute through Mpole's strike that ended in the hands of Simba's goal- keeper Beno Kakolanya.
After the attempt, Geita Gold managed to score an opener through George Mpole, who completed Daniel Lyanga's assist after a perfect one- one pass with Offen Chikola.
Chikola came close to double in the 24th with a long-range strike, but his shot hit the woodwork.
Simba responded with Kibu Dennis header that found back of the net in the 28th minute.
He headed it home completing Larry Bwalya's set-piece.
The two sides fought well in the first half with extreme intensity, but none of the raids paid off for the both sides.
It was a match that both sides displayed a physique in the process, Simba's fullback Shomari Kapombe limped off after picking an injury, and Jimmyson Mwanuke replaced him.
Later, Sadio Kanoute attempted to score with a header completing Bwalya's cross, but his header went wide.
Medie Kagere replaced skipper John Bocco in the 60th minute after the skipper picked an injury.
Geita Gold came close to double in the 64th minute through Mpole, who completed Edmund John's set- piece, but Kakolanya stood firmly and thwarted away the danger.
In the 69th minute, Kagere released a powerful shot from outside the box, but it went a few inches off target.
No team managed to change the scoreboard until the end of the 90- minute thriller.
As a result, Simba are forced into the second draw in a row.
Last week, they drew 1-1 with Azam at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.
