Dar es Salaam. Tanzania national team (Taifa Stars) captain Mbwana Samatta has officially opened his goal account in Ligue 1, scoring for Le Havre AC in their 1-1 draw against OGC Nice last Sunday.
The match, played at the Allianz Riviera, saw the Tanzanian striker hand his side the lead in the 41st minute. Samatta showed composure inside the box, calmly finishing off a well-weighted pass from midfielder Rassoul Ndiaye. The goal marked a significant milestone for the Taifa Stars skipper, who had been searching for his first strike since joining the French side during the summer transfer window.
Despite Le Havre’s promising first-half display, the hosts responded after the break. Ali Abdi brought Nice level in the 59th minute, ensuring the two sides shared the spoils in a tightly contested encounter. Samatta, who put in a hardworking and disciplined performance throughout the match, remained a constant threat to the Nice defense before being substituted in the 87th minute.
Head coach Didier Digard opted to replace him late on with defender Stephan Zagadou as Le Havre looked to hold onto the valuable away point. Samatta’s contribution, however, stood out as one of the key moments of the match, highlighting his growing influence within the squad.
The result leaves Le Havre sitting 14th in the league standings with 29 points from 29 matches, just ahead of Nice, who occupy 15th place with 28 points from the same number of games. Meanwhile, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain continue to dominate the table with 63 points from 27 matches.
Le Havre will now turn their attention to their next fixture against Angers SCO on Saturday at the Stade Raymond-Kopa. The club will be hoping Samatta can build on his breakthrough performance and add more goals as they aim to climb further up the standings.
With this goal, Samatta has now scored in five different European leagues, underlining his vast experience, adaptability, and consistency at the highest level of the game, while continuing to inspire Tanzanian football on the international stage.
