Dar es Salaam. There is a Swahili proverb that says “The truth is bitter,” meaning that sometimes telling the truth brings pain, sadness, or a difficult situation for the person who accepts or is told the truth.
However, even though the truth may hurt, it is better than lying or hiding the truth, because in the long run, the truth is what leads to lasting solutions.
So, what’s going on?
Despite Simba sitting atop the Premier League standings with 47 points, closely followed by their arch-rivals Yanga SC at 46 points, both teams have shown a weakness in allowing goals from outside the penalty box.
Together, the Kariakoo teams have conceded 13 goals, with Yanga allowing 7 and Simba 6 of those, 8 of which, accounting for 61.5 percent, were goals conceded by their goalkeepers Djigui Diarra and Khomeini Abubakar for Yanga, and Moussa Camara for Simba, all outside the penalty box.
Yanga, who are chasing their fourth consecutive title, have already conceded half the number of goals they let in last season, despite starting this season strong with eight consecutive wins, including a victory over Simba.
However, they began to concede goals in round nine, losing 1-0 to Azam, followed by three more goals conceded to Tabora United, both matches being at home in the Azam Complex before they decided to move to KMC Complex.
In those games, three goals—one against Azam and two against Tabora United—were scored inside the penalty box, but one goal, the first goal against Tabora United, was from outside the box.
Often Chikola did something to Diarra that the goalkeeper didn’t expect, and he was shocked to see the ball hit the back of his net, with Chikola’s calculations matching what his left foot had done.
These defeats for Yanga led to the departure of their coach, Miguel Gamondi, and by round 11, the team was under the German coach Sead Ramović, who led them to a 2-0 victory over Namungo.
In the next match, despite winning 3-2 against Mashujaa, they conceded two goals, one of which came from outside the penalty box, scored by David Uromi and Idrisa Stambuli.
After that, Diarra didn’t play again, and instead, Abuutwalib Mshery filled in as the goalkeeper, not allowing a goal until Diarra recovered from injury.
Since then, Yanga played four matches without conceding a goal: 4-0 against Tanzania Prisons, 4-0 against Dodoma Jiji, 5-0 against Fountain Gate, and 4-0 against Kagera Sugar, scoring 17 goals before conceding their fourth goal outside the penalty box of the season against Kengold.
Despite a 6-1 victory, Yanga conceded a goal from the center of the field, which was scored by Selemani Bwenzi.
On the other hand, all six goals conceded by Simba were allowed by Camara, with three of those being outside the penalty box.
Unlike Yanga, Simba began conceding goals in round five against Coastal Union after drawing 2-2, following victories over Tabora United (3-0), Fountain Gate (4-0), Azam (2-0), and Dodoma Jiji (1-0).
In that match, which was played at KMC Stadium, Simba led 2-0 but was pegged back, with both equalizing goals scored by Hassan Abdallah and Hernest Briyock Malonga (currently with Singida), both from outside the penalty box.
In the following match, Camara found himself in a difficult situation after conceding another goal against Yanga on October 22, 2024.
Although it wasn’t a goal from outside the penalty box, he made a mistake by spilling a free kick from Clatous Chama, and Max Nzengeli finished it off, giving the fans joy at the Mkapa Stadium.
After that game, Camara returned to top form and showed excellent performances in the next six league matches, where he didn’t concede a single goal.
However, on September 21, 2024, he let in two goals as Simba triumphed 5-2 over Kagera Sugar.
Camara allowed one goal outside the penalty box, which was scored by Cleophace Mkandala, while another goal, scored by Peter Datius, was inside the box.
Another goal Camara conceded was against Fountain Gate (1-1), where he was unfortunately scored on by his own teammate, Ladack Chasambi, who mistakenly attempted to pass the ball back to him while trying to restart their attack.
