The Kenyan trio of Joash Onyango, Duke Abuya, and Elvis Rupia suffered heartbreak in the Mapinduzi Cup as Singida Fountain Gate fell 3-2 on post-match penalties to Simba on Wednesday night at the New Amaan Sports Complex in Zanzibar.The three, who were all named in the starting team, were hoping to inspire Singida to the final of the tournament set for this Saturday but were unfortunate to lose the duel in the penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regular time.Singida were on the verge of sending the Tanzanian giants out of the tournament as they led for the better part of the game only to concede deep into stoppage time, a goal that drew contests from their players as it was scored two minutes after the time indicated by the fourth official.##NAJAVA_MECA_7788984##Rupia, who has been inspirational in the tournament, had given Singida the lead in the first half, only for his strike to be canceled seconds to the final whistle after Fabrice Ngoma found the back of the net.The goal saw the Kenyan international stretch his tally to five goals in the tournament, placing him in pole position to clinch the ‘Golden Shoe’.Mapinduzi Cup: Rupia scores and assists to lead Singida into tournament semifinalsLuis Muquissone, Moses Phiri, and Israel Mwenda were on target for Simba in the shootout, while Abuya and Deus Kaseke scored for Singida.Former Gor Mahia star Meddie Kagere, left-back Michael Kamagi, and Hamad Waziri failed to convert for Singida, while Simba’s Shomari Kapombe and Saidi Ntibazonkiza missed theirs.Mapinduzi Cup: Deep dive into tactical matchup between Simba and APRSingida had beaten Azam FC 2-1 in a thrilling quarter-final match, while Simba edged Jamhuri FC 1-0 to reach the semis.Following their hard-fought victory over Singida, Simba, who are bidding to reclaim the title, will face Mlandege in the final on Saturday.Mlandege defied the odds to eliminate Rwandese giants APR from the tournament. The Zanzibar side beat the star-studded military side from Rwanda 4-2 on post-match penalties after settling for a barren draw in regular time.
