Simba SC were forced to wait until the last minute to salvage a 1-1 draw against Tanzania Prisons in a Mainland Premier League match on Wednesday.
The Msimbazi giants were playing one of their four matches in hand and were in need of a win to close the gap between them and table-toppers Yanga but it was not the case as their bogey side once again denied them maximum points.
Salum Kimenya put the Prison Warders ahead in the 56th minute and they were heading to seal a double over the champions until the 90th minute when winger Luis Miquissone produced magic to salvage a point which will eventually have a significant bearing in the title race at the end of the season.
Simba, who came into the game after their 0-0 draw against Al Merrikh of Sudan in the Caf Champions League, were not at their best from the onset as Prisons forced them to chase the ball but their final finishing was not clinical as their forwards struggled.
The reigning champions then had the best chance to take the lead in the 35th minute but forward Chris Mugalu failed to convert from the penalty spot after his weak effort was saved by Prisons’ keeper Jeremiah Kisubi.
The penalty save gave Prisons the confidence to push and get the goal and they missed a glorious chance in the 44th minute when Kimenya failed to put the ball into the net despite keeper Aishi Manula stepping outside his line.
On resumption, Prisons, who had beaten Simba 1-0 in the first round meeting, then took the lead when Kimenya drove from the half of the field to beat Manula with a low-footed effort.
The goal somehow, disorganized Simba and it forced coach Didier Gomez Da Rosa to introduce midfielder Bernard Morrison, but they had to wait until the 90th minute when Miquissone stepped up to save them from an imminent defeat with a beautiful finish from outside the box.
The draw means Simba will remain second on 46 points from 20 matches, four less than Yanga who are top, while Azam FC will remain third on 41 points from 23 matches.
