WITH three giants
locked at the top and five others on each throats to escape relegation,
the chase for the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) title has become
unbearably tough for the giants.
Holders Young
Africans are narrowly leading the chase with 46 points the same as the
second-placed Azam, but superior goal average puts the former slightly
ahead.
Simba, who lost
sight of the front runners in the early rounds of the league, are
breathing fire an inch behind their Dar es Salaam rivals with 45 points,
a situation that makes the title chase a cut-throat affair.
Despite losing to
their traditional rivals on Saturday, Simba's Ugandan coach Jackson
Mayanja was the star of the early second leg after leading his charges
to command seven straight wins.
His arrival also
boosted the performances of Uganda striker, Hamisi Kiiza and Ibrahim
Ajib, a youth whose season start came with a hat-trick. But the
situation is not the same for the fourth placed Mtibwa Sugar, who
previously enjoyed the third position going too close to the leaders,
Yanga and Azam in point hauling. At the end of the 20th round, Mtibwa
Sugar have garnered 33 points, 12 points adrift.
WITH three giants
locked at the top and five others on each throats to escape relegation,
the chase for the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) title has become
unbearably tough for the giants.
Holders Young
Africans are narrowly leading the chase with 46 points the same as the
second-placed Azam, but superior goal average puts the former slightly
ahead.
Simba, who lost
sight of the front runners in the early rounds of the league, are
breathing fire an inch behind their Dar es Salaam rivals with 45 points,
a situation that makes the title chase a cut-throat affair.
Despite losing to
their traditional rivals on Saturday, Simba's Ugandan coach Jackson
Mayanja was the star of the early second leg after leading his charges
to command seven straight wins.
His arrival also
boosted the performances of Uganda striker, Hamisi Kiiza and Ibrahim
Ajib, a youth whose season start came with a hat-trick. But the
situation is not the same for the fourth placed Mtibwa Sugar, who
previously enjoyed the third position going too close to the leaders,
Yanga and Azam in point hauling. At the end of the 20th round, Mtibwa
Sugar have garnered 33 points, 12 points adrift.
Tanga region has
been the most unfortunate in the league's title chase. All its three
teams are placed at the danger zone with African Sports and Coastal
Union being at the worst situation.
Though it is JKT
Ruvu who are bottom-placed with 15 points, 19 goals and 39 goals
against, the 15th placed African Sports have the lowest scoring ability
after seeing the net only seven times. It is the only team that scored a
single digit number.
Coastal Union are
placed 14th with 16 points 13 goals for and 22 goals against while
Kagera Sugar are 13th with 17 points and Mgambo JKT, also from Tanga are
standing at 12th position. Mwadui, under coach Jamhuri Kihwelu, are the
most successful league newcomers. Promoted this season, Mwadui are
fifth with 32 points, after playing 20 matches.
They have netted 21
goals while conceding 17 goals. Mwadui, once the soccer giants in
1970s, declined in the 1990s alongside the Lake Zone giants Pamba and
Lake Star. Mwadui and their neighbours Stand United are doing fairly
well in the league, but both are far from the league title though are
not threatened by relegation.
Tanzania Prisons
who held Azam to a barren draw on Wednesday are sixth placed with 32
points. Seventh are Stand United with 30 points, but they have left far
the eighth-placed Ndanda FC with eighth 23 points.
Tanzania Prisons at
the end of the 20th round was the top-placed Southern Highland team as
others Mbeya City and Majimaji are placed 10th and 11th respectively.
Though he didn't
score in the Saturday's Dar es Salaam derby, Simba's Ugandan import,
Hamis Kiiza continued to lead a chase for the golden boot with 16 goals.
His closest challenger, Amis Tambwe from rivals, Young Africans is
second-placed with 15 goals.
Yanga's Zimbabwean
import, Donald Ngoma is third with 11 goals while Kipre Tchetche,
Jeremia Mgunda and Elias Maguli have tied at the fifth position with ten
goals each.
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