Mngqithi says Abuya injury was turning point in Young Africans’ derby defeat

Young Africans SC manager Manqoba Mngqithi believes his side’s loss of midfielder Duke Abuya to injury was the decisive moment in their defeat by arch-rivals Simba SC.

The Tanzanian league defending champions went ahead through Peter Shalulile’s sixth-minute goal, but Simba responded with two quick goals in the second half to secure victory. Neo Maema scored the equaliser, although the identity of the second scorer was not stated.

The result was Simba’s 17th consecutive league win and extended their unbeaten run in the competition to 32 matches. The club are managed by Steve Barker.

Mngqithi said Abuya’s withdrawal after 25 minutes had a significant effect on the contest, particularly because Young Africans had begun strongly and were controlling the midfield.

“I think we started the game very well, showing glimpses of what we are capable of, and scored a beautiful goal as a result and created a few chances before half-time but we were not clinical enough in the final third,” Mngqithi said.

“Unfortunately we lost Duke and I think that’s where it changed and looked different because he is a very important player from our team.

“Inasmuch as we were playing well with the ball but defensively we did not have the legs that we had in the early stages of the game.”

Young Africans had created opportunities before the interval but failed to convert them, leaving the match open for Simba to recover after falling behind.

Mngqithi said Abuya’s enforced substitution weakened his team’s structure and made it harder for them to deal with Simba’s intensity after the break.

“I think the game was lost from that forced substitution of Duke Abuya because our midfield was very strong; the team was playing well but unfortunately, when you lose such a key figure so early in the game, we had to dig very deep,” he said.

“And unfortunately our best was not good enough for the day, and credit must be given to Simba; I think they pushed us; they forced errors, and they ran a lot in the second half.”

Young Africans attempted to respond after Simba turned the game around, but Mngqithi felt their efforts came too late to change the outcome.

“We tried to improve but unfortunately I think it was too late.”