Late controversy as Simba SC's Ligi Kuu Bara title chase continues

Simba SC Tanzania/Facebook

Simba SC needed a victory on Friday to continue their pursuit of rivals Young Africans and the Reds got all they could handle against an inspired Mashujaa FC side. However, Leonel Ateba's controversial match winning penalty kick in the fifteenth minute of second half stoppage time gave Simba an essential 2-1 victory.

A foul at the edge of the Mashujaa penalty area deep into second half stoppage time was initially ruled to be outside the box but after a moment of reflection and lobbying from Simba players, a penalty kick was awarded to the outrage of Mashujaa.

After furious protests and plenty of drama, Cameroonian forward Ateba converted his spot kick to spare Simba's blushes at home. It could have been a different story after the visitors got off to a dream start with Jafary Kibaya's swerving strike from distance finding its way past Simba goalkeeper Moussa Camara inside ten minutes.

As the match wore on, Simba struggled to find a way past stubborn Mashujaa who maintained their lead well into the second half. However the hosts benefited from good fortune after the hour mark when Mohamed Hussein's cross went off the arm of a Mashujaa defender, leading to Ateba's first penalty kick conversion.

But Simba needed all three points and it appeared that scrappy Mashujaa would hold on for a valuable point away from home. However, another stroke of fortune that is sparking plenty of debate gave Simba the victory and the Dar es Salaam giants remain firmly in the title race.

Simba now trail Young Africans by ten points with three matches in hand. A congested domestic schedule continues on Monday when Simba travel to face JKT Tanzania.

League Table (Top-5)

	GP	Points
Young Africans	26	70
Simba SC	23	60
Azam FC	27	54
Singida Black Stars	27	53
Tabora United	27	37