Young Africans, the Tanzanian champions, secured a 2-0 victory over Marumo Gallants from South Africa in the first leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semifinal clash in Dar es Salaam.
Stephane Aziz Ki, a former ASEC Mimosas forward, calmly opened the scoring in the second half, while Bernard Morrison added a crucial second goal late in the match. Despite Gallants posing a threat and having some bad luck, they were unable to find the back of the net. The two teams will face each other again next Wednesday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenberg, with Gallants as the hosts.
The first half was relatively uneventful, with Gallants defending well and Young Africans struggling to ignite the large crowd at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. In the 21st minute, Yanga’s leading scorer, Fiston Mayele, had a clear opportunity to score but failed to trouble Gallants’ goalkeeper, Washington Arubi. In the 34th minute, Gallants’ forward, Letsile Koapeng, found the net but was called offside.
Gallants came out strong after halftime but their poor finishing prevented them from securing an important away goal. They had chances through Lucky Mohomi and Katlego Otladisa, but both failed to find the target. Gallants’ striker, Ranga Chivaviro, also had two good opportunities but was denied by a save from Yanga’s goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra, and last-ditch defending from Ibrahim Hamad.
Gallants’ wastefulness ultimately cost them, as Aziz Ki capitalized on a low cross from Tuisila Kisinda to calmly place his shot into the corner of Arubi’s goal. With Yanga in control, they sealed the victory late in the match when Morrison, a substitute, finished from a tight angle after his initial chip attempt was tipped by Arubi. The home supporters erupted with joy at the goal.
The two teams will now prepare for the second leg at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where Gallants will look to overturn the 2-0 deficit and secure a spot in the final of the CAF Confederation Cup.
