Young Africans to meet USM Alger in African Confederation Cup final

JOHANNESBURG : Young Africans became the first team from Tanzania in 30 years to reach a continental club competition final when they beat Marumo Gallants of South Africa 2-1 away on Wednesday to book a date with USM Alger in the final of the African Confederation Cup.

Congolese forward Fiston Mayele scored the first goal and set up the second for Kennedy Musonda with a mazy run from inside his own half as Yanga won away at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, some 200km from Johannesburg, in the second leg of their semi-final.

It is ensured a 4-1 aggregate triumph as they followed in the footsteps of their Dar-es-Salaam rivals Simba in reaching the final of the continent’s secondary club competition. Simba reached the final of the old-style CAF Cup in 1993.

Yanga, who have been perennial competitors in annual African competition but never previously got past the quarter-final stage, will now host USMA in the first leg of the final on May 28, followed by the return in Algeria one week later.

USMA beat ASEC Abidjan 2-0 on Wednesday at home in the second leg of their semi-final after a goalless draw in the Ivory Coast last week.

Khaled Bousseliou opened the scoring minutes before the half-hour mark and Ismail Belkacemi made sure of victory with a second goal 10 minutes from time.