Simba remain on top of the league after coming back from behind to register a three one win over Azam. This is the second time these teams have met, the other being in the community shield. Simba came into this game with a slight advantage having had a full week to prepare for the game as opposed to the two days that Azam had.
 

Both teams were deployed in their expected formations, Simba a 4-2-3-1 while Azam a 4-4-2 diamond midfield. Mkude and Kiemba were Simba’s double pivots with Kazimoto playing in front of them. As for Azam, Humud played as the pivot and Salum at the tip of the diamond. Upfront, Boko played to the left and Kipre Tchetche on the right as the two strikers.

​

Midfield:
 

Like in the community shield game, Azam forego midfield dominance and opted for balls down the channels. They played the ball out from the back often rotating the man who played as the pivot. The main movement was that of Salum dropping deep, receiving the ball from Morad, and playing it out to the left full back Nuhu. There was barely sufficient combination play in midfield. They found it hard to play through Simba and were in a hurry to bypass the midfield by playing balls into the channels. They did win the aerial dual in midfield and their goal came from Morad winning a header which fell to Kipre Tchetche, played the ball behind the defense for Boko to run on to.

Simba managed to move play from left to right making the flatted diamond work hard to try cover the whole width of the pitch. There were two chances that were created directly as a result of the ball being shifted from one wing to the other. The first was one where Okwi managed to smash the ball on to the cross bar and the other  resulted in second goal.

​

Wings:
 

It is no secret that Simba’s play tends to gravitate more towards their right wing mainly because of marauding runs Masoud makes and Ngassa’s pace. Within the first seven minutes Simba had managed to get two crosses in from that wing, both met by Sunzu one flashing past the near post and the other he was judged to have fouled the goalkeeper. Boko realized that and instead of taking up a position in the channels he now drifted wider to try nullify Masoud bringing the ball out from the back. It is unfortunate that he had to be substituted due to injury. The opener came as a result of a throw in followed by a cross from Ngassa that was headed home by Sunzu.
 

On the left, where Okwi was positioned, nothing much happened. Okwi was kept quiet for the majority of the first half until late on in the half did he come alive. Shikanda did move forward providing width but never managed to get in behind Maftah. Azam won not less than three corners on this wing but were executed poorly. The second goal came from this wing, similar to the opener, a quick throw in followed by a cross and a header into the net. Of particular interest is that the genesis of the attack begun on the right wing.
 

Simba came out in rather buoyant mood and created the first chance of the half thanks to some hesitant defending. Okwi picked up the ball on the left and made his usual inside runs creating a chance for Kazimoto. His goal was as a result of a combination of this trademark movement and a piece of individual brilliance. It sapped the energy off Azam players and the game didn’t progress tactically from then on. Azam’s only clear chance came from a cross.

​

​Bunjak vs Curkovic:

​

This is the second time these two coaches have met with Curkovic winning the tactical battle on both occassions. Going back to the community shield game, Simba stretched the play well, especially in the second half but they didn’t create many chances. In today’s game, Curkovic showed  a progression on his part, enphasizing use of width and crosses, something that was lacking in the first game. ​​
 

It is hard to pin point any positives with regards to Azam’s performance. One may point to the Boko’s injury as a source of lack of chances in the game. It might be so, but the fact is that the defeat was more or less similar to the one they suffered in the community shield. It was again down to the inherent weakness of the chosen formation. Losing two games in a similar manner to the same team not only flatters Simba but points to poor management.