DESPITE Friday’s disappointing result, Tigers head coach Mervin Mbakera is confident his side could still finish in the top eight at the end of the season.
He said this after his side was held to a 2-2 draw against a visiting Mighty Gunners at Unam stadium on Friday afternoon. Gunners, who were trailing 2-0 for most of the game, pulled a surprise comeback and scored twice in the final 20 minutes.
Dwain Kinda and Johannes Africa scored the two goals for Tigers, while Gunners found the back of the net through Kamburu Munago, who converted a penalty before Kinda turned from hero to villain by netting an own goal. Friday’s draw saw Tigers remain in ninth position with 37 points, while Gunners remained fourth on the standing with 40 points before yesterday’s match which was played while the paper had gone to print.
Reacting to the results after Saturday’s match, Mbakera said he was disappointed. He, however, said everything happened because his charges became complacent after going two goals up.
“It’s not the results we expected. We thought the game belonged to us, and we were convinced that we would go home with maximum points in the bag. But unfortunately, God had other plans for us as our opponent came from 2-0 behind to secure a draw in the last 20 minutes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gunners’ coach Gerhard Hengari was excited after getting the crucial point away from home.
“It was a tough encounter against Tigers. We didn’t expect to get a point as we were two goals down, but the boys didn’t lose hope and faith, and we managed to come back and salvage a point,” an elated Hengari said.
In other result on Saturday, title contenders Ongos FC kept their hopes alive after securing a much-needed 2-1 win against Okakarara Young Warriors, while relegation-fighting Julinho Sporting threw away important points at home when they suffered a 0-1 loss at the hands of Gobabis based outfit Young African. Civics, on the other hand, secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Eeshooke Chula Chula.