Yanga head coach Pedro Gonçalves has praised his players for their resilience and fighting spirit after coming from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw against Simba in their NBC Premier League clash.
Speaking after the match, Gonçalves admitted that his team struggled in the opening 15 minutes, conceding two quick goals.
However, he noted that once his players regained composure, they were the better side and could have even won the match.
"We were not good in the first 15 minutes, but if we talk about the next 75 or 80 minutes, I think we played very well."
"We started well but made mistakes. We cannot lose concentration at moments like that—we talk about these things a lot."
"Mistakes like those give your opponent an advantage and reduce the team’s confidence overall."
"I congratulate my players. Despite the setback, they kept fighting and managed to come back. Overall, I think we were the better team than Simba."
"We deserved to win, but we are still five points ahead of our main rivals in the title race. We will continue to fight in the remaining 10 matches to defend our title."
Gonçalves also explained his decision to start Israel Mwenda at right-back before substituting him at halftime, with Yao Kouassi coming on.
"Sometimes we need to focus on tactics and the type of players we need to use. The goal is to use the right players and reduce the workload on others. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this," he added.
After coming on, Yao appeared to strengthen the right side of the defense, just as he did in the Muungano Cup final played on April 29 in Zanzibar.
