Yanga hold Saint Louis to progress
Tanzanian champions, Young Africans, earned a 1-1 away draw at Stade Linite on Mahe on Wednesday afternoon to eliminate host Saint Louis on a 2-1 aggregate score to qualify for the next round.
Fondly called Yanga, the Tanzanian side had a slender lead after their 1-0 win at home twelve days ago so this match looked evenly poised and remained in the balance.
However, the visitors showed more purpose in the first half as Saint Louis tried to find their feet and relied too heavily on Karl Hall upfront to inspire their attack.
Yanga came close as early as the sixth minute from Emmanuel Josef’s pinpoint cross to Congolese midfielder Papy Kabamba Tshishimbi whose glancing header produced a great low save from Saint Louis goalie Malagasy Michel Ramandimbisoa.
This first half was heading for a stalemate as the two teams tried to nullify each other but the visitors struck on the stroke of half time from a swift counter attack.
Hassan Khamis Ramadhan broke clear on the right to pick out Ibrahim Mijumba who slotted the ball into the net in a crowded penalty area for a 1-0 lead at the interval.
The onus was on the home team to redress the balance in the second half as they made a couple of changes to bolster their play.
The homers almost got caught in the 62
Saint Louis though looked more dangerous as the match elapsed and in the 74
The host though salvaged a last gasp draw in added time from another Melanie free kick which captain Bertrand Esther met with a looping header which sailed over goalie Jehu to make it 1-1 for the final score.
Reactions
Michel Renaaud (Head Coach, Saint Louis)
We had high hopes for this home match and today our players gave their maximum but it was not enough as our lack of competition did not help our cause. Generally, we are satisfied though we wanted to win and qualify for the next round.
Bertrand Esther (Captain, Saint Louis)
It was not a difficult match but a lapse in concentration late in the first half cost us dearly. We played better in the second half but we were not precise in our passing which made life difficult for us and so, we could not achieve our target of winning this match which is a bit of a disappointment for us and the fans.
Shadrack Nsajigwa (Coach, Young Africans)
It was a good match where we played well in the first half but it was a 50-50 affair in the second half. We gave away a goal late in the match but we know we had already secured qualification in a tough match against a team with a good fighting spirit.
Ali Nadir Haroub (Captain, Young Africans)
We played quite well in the first half but our opponents were very good in the second half as they pressed us but we managed to qualify which was our aim in this match.
Results
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Williamsville AC (Cote d’Ivoire) 1-0 Stade Malien (Mali) (1-1)
Olympic de Bangui (Central African Republic) 0-0 ES Setif (Algeria) (0-6)
El Hilal (Sudan) 3-0 LISCR (Liberia) (0-1)
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
KCCA (Uganda) 1-0 CNaPs Sport (Madagascar) (1-2)
Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland) vs Bantu (Lesotho) (4-2)
Aduana (Ghana) 2-0 El Tahadi (Libya) (0-1)
Mounana (Gabon) 2-0 RC Kadiogo (Burkina Faso) (0-1)
MFM (Nigeria) vs AS Real (Mali) (1-1)
MC Alger (Algeria) vs AS Otoho (Congo) (0-2)
Horoya (Guinea) vs AS FAN (Niger) (3-1)
Makkassa (Egypt) vs Generation Foot (Senegal) (0-2)
Saint Louis (Seychelles) 1-1 Young Africans (Tanzania) (0-1)
El Merreikh (Sudan) vs Township Rollers (Botswana) (0-3)
Leones Vegatarianos (Equatorial Guinea) vs Gor Mahia (Kenya) (0-2)
Esperance (Tunisia) vs Concorde (Mauritania) (1-1)
Eding Sport (Cameroon) 0-1 Plateau United (Nigeria) (0-3)
AS Port (Togo) vs AC Leopards (Congo) (1-2)
Zesco (Zambia) 7-0 JKU (Zanzibar) (0-0)
ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire) vs Buffles (Benin) (1-1)
UD Songo (Mozambique) 2-0 Ngaya (Comoros) (1-1)
Be Forward (Malawi) vs AS Vita (DR Congo) (0-4)
FC Platinum (Zimbabwe) 1-2 Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) (0-3)
Pamplemousses (Mauritius) 1-0 Bidvest (South Africa) (0-2)
Difaa El Jadida (Morocco) 10-0 Benfica (Guinea Bissau)
Benfica (Guinea Bissau) 0-0 Difaa El Jadida (Morocco) (0-10)
Lydia Academic (Burundi) 0-1 Rayon Sports (Rwanda) (1-1)
Saturday, 24 February 2918
Armed Forces (Gambia) vs Zanaco (Zambia) (0-3)