Dar es Salaam. The mainland Tanzania champions, Young Africans (Yanga), suffered a setback on April 5, 2024, failing to secure a spot in the CAF Champions League semifinals.
Yanga were ousted in a dramatic penalty shootout by South African heavyweights, Mamelodi Sundowns.
The clash, held at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, witnessed the Jangwani Street giants succumb to a 3-2 defeat on penalties following a tense goalless draw in regulation time.
Yanga’s hope were dashed as key players, Stephane Aziz KI, Dickson Job, and Ibrahim “Bacca” Hamad, faltered in their penalty attempts, while Augustine Okrah and Joseph Guede found the back of the net.
Conversely, Mamelodi Sundowns capitalized on their chances, with Marcelo Allende, Lucas Ribeiro, and Neo Maema all converting their penalties, although Gaston Sirino’s miss was saved by Yanga’s goalkeeper, Djigui Diarra.
The next challenge for Mamelodi Sundowns will be against the victor of the clash between Asec Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Esperance de Tunis of Tunisia, scheduled for April 6, 2024, in Abidjan at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, commencing at 11 pm East African time.
Controversy marred the encounter, with Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at the center of scrutiny.
They disallowed Azizi KI’s goal in the 60th minute, despite television replays clearly showing the ball crossing the goal line after hitting the crossbar.
Despite protests from Yanga players, match officials upheld their decision.
Yanga’s forward, Clement Mzize, shoulders the blame for squandering a clear scoring opportunity in the 78th minute, firing wide in a one-on-one situation against Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
Despite the tense encounter, Mamelodi Sundowns largely dominated the encounter, creating two significant scoring chances that they ultimately failed to convert.=
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