Yanga hunt Bamako after ASFC feat
AFTER reaching into Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) quarterfinals, Young Africans Assistant Coach Cedric Kaze said they have switched their focus to the CAF Confederation Cup assignment.
Yanga defeated Tanzania Prisons 4-1 at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam on Friday evening to advance to the ASFC last eight as they eye to defend the title for the second time.
On the scoreboard for the reigning champions were Bakari Mwamnyeto, Stephanie Aziz Ki, and Clement Mzize who netted a brace after being introduced from the bench.
For Tanzania Prisons, who were reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card flashed to Abraham Ibrahim before halftime, netted the solitary goal in the 61st minute through Jumanne Elifadhili but was not enough to take them further into the competition.
However, up next, Yanga host Real De Bamako at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday for a hot group D confederation cup encounter.
“The victory is good to us because we have stepped into the quarterfinals and hence still better placed to defend the ASFC title for the second time in a row which is our main target.
“But, our full focus now is on the approaching confederation cup match against De Bamako of which we also aim to do well and bag maximum points from home turf to increase our chances of cruising into the quarterfinals,” Kaze said after the game.
A win to Yanga on Wednesday takes them to 7 points in the group thereby clearing themselves a good path to the Promised Land and for the visitors, the defeat will be a sour pill for them to take.
In the first-leg duel played in Mali on Sunday, the game ended in a 1-1 draw as the hosting side had to come from behind to balance the equation and enable both sides to share the spoils.
On his part, Tanzania Prisons trainer Mohamed Abdallah ‘Bares’ conceded the defeat saying the first half red card claimed by his side affected a lot their game plan.
“As you saw, we managed to hold them to a goalless draw in the first half before one of my players was shown marching orders…this means that his dismissal created a room for them (Yanga) to dominate us,” he said.
The nosedive indicates that Tanzania Prisons have missed out on a chance to escape the season with a trophy in their cupboard as they already surrendered the premier league title race.
They currently accommodate 14th place in the Premier League table with 22 points from 24 matches hence they need to work hard to avoid relegation.
