Dar es Salaam — SIMBA and Young Africans coaches both insisted the Mainland Premier League title race remains open after their gripping 2-2 draw on in Dar es Salaam Sunday, stressing that with ten matches still to play, every point will prove decisive.
Young Africans stay top with 48 points, five ahead of Simba, but neither camp was willing to read too much into the result in a contest that swung dramatically over 90 minutes.
Simba's Head Coach Steve Barker was left frustrated after his side let a twogoal lead slip, admitting it was a missed chance to close the gap.
"We are obviously disappointed," he said.
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"It was a game we knew we had to win to really apply pressure at the top. That was the aim, and we fell a little bit short."
His side had started brightly, pressing with intensity and turning turnovers into an early advantage, but he felt they retreated too soon.
"We started really well, a lot of intensity, winning the ball back high up, which led to the two-goal lead. But after that we sat back a little. We should have been braver and continued in the same way."
The second half became an open, end-to-end affair, with both sides creating chances as the game finished level, a result the Simba Coach felt his side could have avoided.
"At 2-2, I thought we finished stronger, but both teams had big chances," he said.
"From being 2-0 up, we should have seen it through and taken all three points."
Young Africans, however, grew into the game after a difficult opening spell, something their Head Coach Pedro Gonçalves openly acknowledged.
"For 75 or 80 minutes, our performance was very good," said Gonçalves.
"But the first 15 minutes were more or less a disaster." He pointed to a costly lapse in concentration that handed momentum to Simba early on.
"We started well, then made a big mistake. We cannot lose concentration like that. It gave confidence to the opponent and affected us, so we had to respond by being very strong and compact as a team."
Gonçalves praised his players' resilience in fighting back from two goals down, highlighting their organisation and unity.
"That is the part I am very proud of the team stayed together, compact and focused on what we needed to do," he said.
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Gonçalves also pointed to the impact of his substitutions, explaining they were part of a broader strategy to manage his squad across a demanding schedule.
"Sometimes people don't understand, but we have to make choices and think about the bigger picture, not just one match."
Despite dropping points, the Young Africans coach took comfort in maintaining a five-point cushion at the summit.
"There are ten matches left. We must stay strong, keep working and focus on the next game."
Both sides now turn their attention to the run-in, with the title race finely balanced and momentum still up for grabs as the season enters its decisive phase.
