The Kenyan defender reveals how the Msimbazi giants managed to turn it around and beat the Sugar Millers in the cup game
Simba SC defender Joash Onyango has admitted the team was poor in the first half of their Tanzania Cup fixture against Kagera Sugar on Saturday.
The Msimbazi giants went into the match as the favourites following their recent good run in the Mainland Premier League and also Caf Champions League, but were stunned when they went 1-0 down after Erick Mwaijage struck for the Sugar Millers in the 45th minute.
Simba then needed an improved second-half display to score goals through Bernard Morrison in the 55th and Meddie Kagere in the 67th minutes, respectively, to overturn the result and qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.
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The Kenyan defender has confessed the team’s display in the first half was wanting as they looked tired and did not attack their opponents, but in the second half they moved up a gear and put up a good show to win the game.
“Firstly I want to thank God for the entire game, but in the first half we started very slow, and we allowed our opponents to take the lead and it somehow destabilised us even more,” Onyango told Goal.
“But we never gave despite going down because we have to play and win matches, so we kept pushing them, we have to play for 90 minutes so we don’t give up easily and in the second half Kagera returned back to defend and it is when we got the chance to attack them and got the two goals.”
On Simba’s draw to face Kaizer Chiefs of South Africa in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Onyango said: “I don’t want to talk about the Chiefs game, it is not our focus for now because we have other league matches to focus on before we come up against them.
“Our focus for now is to prepare for the league matches and we all know our next match is against rivals Yanga SC, that is where our focus is.
“All I can ask is for the fans to come in large numbers and support us when we face Yanga, we need their support, it is a big game which we need to win and so we plead with them to come and support us.”
Simba will next face the Jangwani rivals in a league match on May 8 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
