TANZANIAN envoys Young Africans signed off their CAF Confederations Cup campaign with 3-1 defeat from hosts TP Mazembe in thrilling encounter held in Lubumbashi yesterday.
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The result means that the Congolese giants, who had already sealed a semi-final berth, finished the group campaign with 13 points while Young Africans remained glued at the bottom with four points. .
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TP Mazembe, thus, completed a double against the Mainland Premier League champions, securing all 6 points, which mathematically helped much the Congolese club to advance..
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TP Mazembe and Algeria’s Mouloudia Olympic Bejaia who yesterday defeated Medeama from Ghana 1-0 in Algeria have qualified for the semi final stage from group A. Defensive blunders cost Yanga dearly in the match as three goals were netted due to either laxity or defensive disorganization..
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Yanga scored their consolation goal in the 74th minute through Amissi Tambwe who fired home Haruna Niyonzima’s rebound. Yanga who missed their several key players, conceded the first goal in the 28th minute..
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It was Bolingi who netted the opener after completing a pass from Reinford Kalaba. Two minutes after conceding the goal, Yanga lost their key defender Andrew Vincent for a foul play. TP Mazembe were leading 1-0 when the teams went for a breather..
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Just 11 minutes after resumption, Kalaba added the second goal for Mazembe after capitalizing on defensive blunder. Mazembe’s Jonathan Mpangi was injured and the match had to stop temporarily to allow his treatment..
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In the 64th minute Kalaba scored the third goal again capitalizing on defensive laxity. Kalaba was quick enough to meet the rebound after goalkeeper Deogratius Munishi fumbled with the ball and found the score alone to easily tap it home..
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Juma Mahadhi who replaced Simon Msuva rejuvenated Yanga’s play. Soon after his entry, Yanga netted their consolation through their Burundian hitman Tambwe. Yanga looked deeply affected with the absence of some key players, especially their sensational striker Daniel Ngoma who has scored four goals so far. Ngoma was serving a suspension for accumulation of yellow cards..
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Other players who didn’t travel to Lubumbashi included Kelvin Yondani, Nadir Haroub, fullback Juma Abdul as well as left winger, Geoffrey Mwashiuya. .
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In Algeria MO Bejaia snuck into the semifinals of the Caf Confederation Cup with a slender 1-0 win over Medeama SC in their final Group A game at the Stade de l’Unité Maghrébine in Beajaia yesterday. .
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The win sees both MO Bejaia and Medeama finish on eight points in Group A, but due to the Algerian side’s superior head-to-head results they go through to the semifinals in second place. It was an extremely tightly contested affair on the day with very few chances for either side in front of goal. .
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In fact, the opening half saw both teams squandering possession in the final third due to poor decision making and some bad passing. Consequently, neither side could find the back of the net before the break with the two teams locked at 0-0 at the end of the first half..
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However, six minutes into the second half MO Bejaia took a rare chance in front of goal with Morgan Betorangal giving them the lead following a clinical finish, 1-0..
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The Ghanaian side tried to find their way back into the match after that, but were thwarted time and again by the home side’s stubborn defence. In the end, MO Bejaia held on for a famous win which sees them into the semifinals of the Caf Confed Cup tournament. .
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Yanga’s line-up Deogratious Munishi, Hassan Kessy, Mwinyi Haji, Andrew Vincent, Mbuyu Twite, Juma Makapu, Simon Msuva (Juma Mahadhi), Thabani Kamusoko, Amissi Tambwe, Deus Kaseke and Haruna Niyonzima..
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Subs:Beno Kakolanya, Oscar Joshua, Pato Ngonyani, Juma Mahadhi, Mateo Anthony.