Mbeya City saw off Dodoma Jiji 2-0 in the second round of the Ligi Kuu Bara regular season on Tuesday. The hosts moved up to fifth in the table with ten points after five matches, while the visitors remained eighth on seven points. It was a result that followed on from their earlier 1-1 draw in June.
W. Mwani gave the hosts the lead early on, scoring in the eighth minute. The goal came from a well-worked move that left the Dodoma Jiji defence scrambling. To be fair, the visitors had not yet settled into their shape, and that cost them.
By then, the match had settled into a rhythm that suited the home side. Mbeya City controlled the tempo, keeping possession at 57 per cent and launching 109 attacks compared to 98 for the visitors. And here's the thing — the statistics do not tell the whole story. Three yellow cards for the hosts and one for the visitors kept the game tight, but the real turning point came later.
Y. Seleman Mbegu doubled the lead in the 72nd minute, putting the result beyond doubt. The visitors had only two shots off target throughout the match and zero on target, which meant they rarely threatened. The hosts registered seven shots off target and two on target, but it was the quality of the chances that mattered more than the quantity.
The result leaves Mbeya City five points clear of the visitors in the standings. Dodoma Jiji's recent form includes a 1-1 draw with Pambaa Jiji on 14 August, but this defeat adds to their tally of two losses from five games. The hosts, meanwhile, bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Geita Gold on the same date, showing resilience after that setback.