Yanga now need five points to win 30th Mainland League title

Dar es Salaam. Defending champions, Young Africans (Yanga), now need five points to clinch the 30th title of the Mainland Tanzania Premier League following their 1-0 victory against Kagera Sugar on May 8, 2024, at the Azam Complex.

Yanga’s goal was scored by Mudathir Yahya in the 83rd minute, following a good pass from Stephane Aziz Ki in the one-sided league encounter, making the Jangwani Street giants garner 68 points from 26 matches.

Yahya’s goal is his ninth in the Premier League this season, equaling his teammate Maxi Nzengeli's tally.

The victory means Yanga have so far collected 11 points ahead of the second-placed team, Azam FC, who have gathered 57 points, and 15 points ahead of their traditional rivals, Simba, who are third with 53 points from 24 matches.

Arithmetically, if Yanga collect five more points will make them reach 73 points, a total that cannot be matched by any other teams in the league.

Azam FC can reach 72 points if they win all remaining matches, while Simba can collect up to 71 points if they also win all remaining matches.

However, Azam and Simba will face each other on May 9, 2024, at 6:15 p.m., and therefore Yanga may need fewer than five points, depending on the results of their match.

If Simba win against Azam, Yanga will need only four points to secure the title, and if Azam FC win against Simba, Yanga will need five points.

 If the two teams end with a draw, Yanga will need only three points, as Azam will have 58 points and Simba will have 54 points. If both teams win all their remaining matches, Simba will collect up to 69 points, while Azam FC may gather up to 70 points with four remaining matches.

Yanga played well in the encounter and missed various clear scoring chances. The team’s Burkinabe import, Aziz Ki, also shot wide several times, and Max Nzengeli also missed clear chances.

For their part, Kagera Sugar remain in seventh place with 30 points from 26 matches. Their next match will be at the Kaitaba Stadium against Simba on May 12, 2024.

Yanga head coach Miguel Gamondi admitted to facing strong opposition from Kagera Sugar players in the match.

“We faced strong opposition in the match. The team opted to apply defensive tactics and did not attack at all. I commend my players for the victory that gives us a good chance to win the title for the third time in a row,” said Gamondi.

Kagera Sugar coach Fred Felix Minziro said they made mistakes and allowed Yanga to score in the late minutes of the game.

Minziro promised to rectify all the mistakes before their next league match.