Andrew Olsson
March 19, 2026Simba’s push disrupted by pesky Pamba
Simba’s push disrupted by pesky Pamba
Simba SC met a worthy foe on Thursday in Tanzania’s NBC Premier League as Pamba Jiji held the title contenders to a 1-1 draw at the CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.
James Mwashinga provided a rapid response to Simba’s opening goal soon after the half hour mark, striking a free kick while the visiting supporters were still calming down from Anicet Oura’s 33rd minute opener.
Pamba have established themselves as one of the nation’s capable teams outside of usual contenders Simba, Young Africans and Azam FC. Despite lacking the foreign stars that Dar es Salaam’s big spenders have from around the continent, they now impressively sit in 5th place on the table.
It is a missed opportunity for Simba, who had a rare opportunity to gain ground on rivals and leaders Young Africans. The signs were positive when a direct attack led to Congolese winger Elie Mpanzu setting up Ivorian star Oura for the opening goal.
But the match was largely even, with hosts Pamba going head-to-head with extra inspiration to prove that they belong on the same pitch as Tanzania’s top clubs. Simba are nine points back of Young Africans with two games in hand on the defending champions.
Earlier on Thursday, another contender failed to close the gap on Young Africans after Azam FC were held to a 0-0 draw by Mashujaa FC. Only one of Tanzania’s four major clubs earned a victory from the midweek matches on Wednesday evening when Singida Black Stars defeated Tanzania Prisons 2-1.
An early penalty kick put Prisons into the lead inside three minutes but a rapid response restored parity three minutes later when Ayubu Lyanga equalized for Singida. Ghanaian attacking fullback Imoro Ibrahim won it late on in second half stoppage time with his third goal in two matches.
Singida move into 6th place with the result while earning back-to-back victories for the first time since September. They will be in action again on Sunday against Azam FC while Young Africans travel to face Mtibwa Sugar on Saturday.