Their superb goals in both halves gave Simba a comfortable 4-0 win over Kenyan giants, AFC Leopards who were invited to help colour the day.
The victory was witnessed by the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Paul Makonda and the Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children, Dr Hamis Kigwangala, who were among the top dignitaries.
From a narrow 1-0 lead in the first half, Simba took the second half strongly and managed to add three more goals through Ajib, Shiza Kichuya and Mavugo who netted the third and fourth goals in the 64th and 81st minutes respectively.
Alongside Ajib’s bright performance, Burundian import Mavugo had also a good show that evidenced why Simba fought tooth and nail to ensure he serves the club this season. Fielding Mavugo in the second half added power to the club’s attack and over 40,000 fans were satisfied he was the right man for the job. Ajib, one of the Simba’s golden boys delighted over 40,000 Simba fans when he scored a superb opener in the 38th minute.
The skilful player released a 30m blockbuster that went untouched behind the gapping net, past AFC Leopards goalkeeper Ian Otieno. Simba were capable of leading by a bigger margin if they utilised three golden chances created by Ivorian striker Frederick Blagnon and Shiza Kichuya.
The goal remained until the end of the first half.
The second half was dominated by the entry of Burundian Mavugo whose transfer to Msimbazi Street captured all the club’s signing this season. Mavugo replaced the Ivorian Blagnon in the second half.
Barely 10 minutes after resumption, Ajib added the second goal for Simba from a close range. Kichuya rounded the AFC Leopards defender on the right flank and placed the ball to the scorer who coolly taped it in past Otieno. Mavugo’s brilliance was clearly observed in the 64th minute when his accurate pass found Kichuya who easily netted the third goal. After the third goal in the 64th minute, Simba benched Ajib for Mohamed Ibrahim.
It took Mavugo until the 81st minute to score his first goal for Simba. Mavugo completed a one-two pass between him and Kichuya. Simba Day kicked off with a week long activities, in which club officials and players partook in various social programmes aimed at endearing it to the fans and their immediate stakeholders.
And the seventh edition of Simba Day came to grand end as Joseph Omog’s charges entertained Kenyan giants AFC Leopards in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Simba, which was founded in 1936, used the occasion to officially introduce their new signings and unveils the club’s kits for the 2016/17 Premier League season, which gets underway on August 20. Looking to bounce back from a four-year stuttering run, the Reds have bolstered their squad significantly ahead of the new league campaign.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) yesterday sent congratulation message to Simba SC as the club celebrated its 80th anniversary.
“For almost seven years now, Simba SC leadership has been celebrating on August 8, every year, they have a special week to commemorate the history of the club’s establishment whereby members learn about their team’s history,” TFF said.
“This is a good thing that should be honoured ... our call to Simba management and members is to preserve this tradition,” TFF added, noting that the Msimbazi Street-based club has a rich history and had massively contributed to regional and African football in general.
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