Substitute Shamte Ali's goal in the 117th minute earned Young Africans a 2-1 victory against bitter-rivals, Simba in a breathtaking Tusker Cup semifinal match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, this afternoon. Jerson Tegete put Yanga ahead after 67 minutes with a powerful strike following Mrisho Ngassa's through ball, but Hilary Echesa levelled matters from a spot kick 12 minutes later to take the game into extra time.
Yanga will now face Kenyan champions Sofapaka in the final match on Sunday, while Simba should turn their focus on the battle for a third place against Tusker FC also from Kenya. In the highly contested match, Haruna Moshi once again committed a childish offence when he confronted assistant referee and was eventually given marching orders for insulting him. Yanga, who produced their best performance ever this season, were the first to knock on their opponents' goal after a defensive mix-up and were presented with an early opportunity.
Simba retaliated in the fifth minute, launching a good attack and it took a superb finger-tip save from Yaw Berko to stop Musa Hassan Mgosi' powerful shot from impossible angle. Both Berko and Mgosi were substituted in the second half after sustaining injuries. Patrick Phiri's decision to give Jerry Santos his debut in this derby match failed to make any positive impact as the Kenyan ace failed to shine, playing in defensive midfielder. At the same time Hilary Echesa looked uncomfortable playing in the right wing. Tegete who was full on the running up front alongside Ngassa, had an excellent chance to give his side the lead in the 33rd minute but from Shadrack Nsajigwa's pass he could only volley wide.
Santos who could have scored with a flick header from Echesa's corner midway the first half lasted after 39th minutes only as Phiri brought in Ramadhan Chombo to galvanize his midfield department which was second best to Yanga for most of the opening half. Simba started the second half brightly. Mgosi first acted selfishly when he had all the room to set up unmarked Emmanuel Okwi but he decided to go for the goal himself from an impossible angle, making it easier for Berko to clear. Minutes later, Okwi released a nice ball , but Chombo blasted his shot over the posts.. Four minutes later the Ghanaian international was injured after colliding with Mgosi and had to be replaced by Obren Curkovic.
Simba who looked stronger from the changes, wasted a clear chance in the 66th minute, and when the ball turned their other way, Tegete did no mistake, putting the ball into the top net. It was now a sew-saw affair, with players in both sides creating and wasting chance after chance. With 20 minutes to go Mgosi sustained head injury and was substituted by Mike Baraza who was however preparing to replace Okwi.
Ironically it was Okwi, who had to remain on the pitch following Mgosi injury, who won the penalty that led to his team equalizing goal. Echesa stepped forward and expertly put his shot into the back of the net. Both teams kept throwing away some clear chances with players running out of steam as minutes ticked by. With three minutes to go before the penalty shootout, Ngassa who proved a thorny in Simba's defence throughout the day, received a long ball from midfield and raced past Yondan who felll in agony on the ground as he attempted to chase the mercurial winger.
Ngassa released a weighed up cross that met Shamte inside the box and he easily fired a stunning shot past hapless goalie Juma Kaseja. Simba's coach blamed the referee Dennis Bate,a Ugandan for poor officiating. His opposite number Kostadin Papic could not be available for comments as the overjoyed fans carried him shoulder high and blocked reporters from approaching him.