Dar es Salaam. A 1-1 draw has kept Simba from regaining the top spot in the Premier League standings, as they now have 44 points, one behind leaders Yanga, who have 45.
Simba played to a draw against Fountain Gate in a Premier League match on Thursday, February 6, 2025 held at the Tanzanite Kwaraa Stadium in Manyara.
The first half of the game saw back-and-forth attacks, with Simba appearing to dominate and pressurize Fountain Gate.
However, Fountain Gate’s goalkeeper, John Noble, put on an impressive performance, keeping his goal intact.
In the second half, Noble continued to shine, denying Simba’s stars, Elie Mpanzu and Leonel Ateba, from scoring.
After several missed chances, Ateba finally gave Simba the lead in the 58th minute, finishing off a pass from Ladack Chasambi.
This goal came after Jean Charles Ahoua had initiated a quick free-kick from a foul committed on Chasambi, catching Fountain Gate off guard before they could organize themselves.
This led to Fountain Gate players protesting the decision, with some confronting referee Abel William from Arusha, and then going after the second assistant referee, Maria Mwakitalima from Mbeya.
With the goal, Simba increased their attacks but failed to make an impact.
In the 65th minute, Fountain Gate coach Robert Matano made a bold move by substituting four players at once.
Abdallah Kulandana, Salum Kihimbwa, Edgar William, and Anack Mtambi were replaced by Kassim Haruna, Frank Antoni, Hashim Omary, and Elie Mokono.
These changes energized Fountain Gate, and in the 75th minute, an unfortunate own goal from Ladack Chasambi occurred when he mistakenly passed the ball back to his goalkeeper, Moussa Camara, resulting in an own goal.
Simba coach Fadlu Davids made a series of substitutions, hoping to find a winning formula.
He brought on Debora Mavambo for Ahoua, then substituted Mohamed Hussein, Ladack Chasambi, and Fabrice Ngoma for Valentino Nouma, Joshua Mutale, and Steven Mukwala.
In the dying moments of the game, referee Abel William showed a second yellow card to goalkeeper John Noble for time-wasting, which led to his red card.
With Noble sent off, Hashim Omary took over as the goalkeeper for the remainder of the match, ensuring Fountain Gate held on for a point.
This result was a positive one for Fountain Gate, as they lost 4-0 to Simba in the first round.
However, the draw ended Simba’s perfect away record, as they had previously won all eight of their away matches this season.
