How Songo overcame Edmilson Dove’s Chiefs switch

UD Songo overcame star defender Edmilson Dove’s switch to Kaizer Chiefs to win the Mozambique League title by a point most recently.

Dove left Songo a few months ago to clinch a dream move to Chiefs, months after parting ways with Cape Town City.

The loss of such an influential player like Dove posed a threat to Songo’s Moçambola title chances.

However, Songo coach Srdjan Zivojnov earlier said while they missed Dove in the business stages of the league race, he had to find options as the tactician.

The Serb said it was important for good teams to have options and not depend on one player.

HOW UD SONGO OVERCAME THE LOSS OF EDMILSON DOVE

“I am coach who has 15 years of experience coaching in Africa and I know how to manage teams. I already won two titles with Yanga in Tanzania,” he told FARPost.

“Dove is a good player, and I follow him at Kaizer Chiefs. However, one player doesn’t make a good team. Good players seek challenges, and you cannot stop them from seeking greener pastures.”

Songo beat Ferroviaro de Maputo 1-0 on Sunday to seal the title, thanks to a goal from John Banda.

He scored with seven minutes to full-time at Machava Stadium in Maputo to seal the title.

Songo wound up the season with 50 points, one point ahead of Black Bulls who thrashed Costa do Sol 3-0 in another earlier match played on Sunday.

Songo last won the league championships in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

TURNING POINT IN UD SONGO’S TITLE PURSUIT

The Songo skipper, Banda, admitted in an interview with FARPost that it was not easy to snatch the title from the holders Black Bulls.

“It was not easy. The turning point was the motivation by our team’s coaching staff and the team’s management,” Banda said.

President of the Tete-based club Francisco Xavier has since hailed the team’s players for delivering the goods.

“Our players represented us well. They fought well for this title, and here is the title,” Xavier told the club’s media department.

Songo will now represent Mozambique in the next edition of the CAF Champions League.

This year, Black Bulls were participating in the CAF Champions League and they were eliminated by Petro de Luanda of Angola.

RELATED STORY: Why Edmilson is soaring like a dove at Chiefs