I had not trained well for about three weeks but I managed to play for 90 minutes. Yes, we managed to win but once I get back to full fitness, I will make our fans happy.
The Intamba m Urugamba forward has also shared what was in his mind when he stepped up to take the deciding penalty with the teams tied at 3-3. When I went to take that final penalty, all I was thinking about was a win, Ntibazonkiza continued. I usually do not like to talk a lot, my talking happens on the pitch. I give my fans what to talk about with a good performance when I have an opportunity.
Their opponents were in Group C, and after a 1-0 loss to Yanga, they defeated Jamhuri 2-0 to qualify as the best losers since the Jangwani Street-based charges finished top of the group.
In Monday s semi-final, Namungo were aiming at avenging the 2-1 loss suffered against Simba in the 2019/20 FA Cup final.
Things did not go as planned for Namungo as Wekundu wa Msimbazi scored their first goal after just seven minutes. A long ball was played and the goalkeeper came a long way to try and play it out to safety.
However, the custodian failed to communicate the same to his defender Abdul Humud. The latter headed to his goalkeeper who was already out of position and Kagere capitalised on it to direct the ball into an empty net.
With Mlandege leading the group with two points, it meant Sunday s winner would automatically qualify for the semi-final.
The Tanzanian heavyweights thought they scored in the second minute when Iddi Selemani tapped the ball on target, but the officials were not moved as they felt the ball did not cross the line while the replays suggested otherwise.
From that point onwards, both teams played cautiously to avoid conceding since it would have lowered their chances of making it to the next phase of the competition.
Seemingly, the match was headed for a goalless draw but Azam FC managed to get a penalty in the 60th minute.
The Sugar Millers came into the match hoping to get a win over the Tanzanian heavyweights after a slim 1-0 win over Chipukizi of Zanzibar.
The Msimbazi-based charges had also defeated the same opponent 3-1, meaning Saturday s winner was to qualify for the semi-final of the annual competition.
With last season s shock loss in mind, Simba ensured they started the game on a high and limited their opponents from getting in the danger zones or creating meaningful chances.
At the same time, the 21-time Tanzania Mainland League champions used every opportunity to try and get in scoring positions. It paid dividends after just six minutes.