Photo: Young Africans Sports Club
Ligi Kuu Bara Tanzania champions Young Africans (Yanga) began their title defense with victory on Wednesday, defeating Pamba Jiji with a routine 3-0 result.
Malian attacker Lassine Kouma scored on his league debut for Yanga just before halftime and left back Mohamed Hussein, who joined from Dar es Salaam rivals Simba SC, assisted the second goal to mark his Yanga debut.
Pamba could hardly get out of their half throughout the ninety minutes at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium. However, the visitors put up a strong resistance on the defensive end for the majority of the first half.
But Sierra Leone national team goalkeeper Mohamed Camara had no chance in first half stoppage time when Kouma crashed in for a powerful header from a corner kick to give Yanga the edge by halftime.
After the hour mark, Hussein showed all of his excellent qualities to create Yanga’s second goal. Beginning a team movement on the left wing, Hussein advanced forward while combining with his teammates to create space and get a low cross in to find Maxi Nzengeli for the finish. Yahya Mudathir added one more goal late for Tanzania’s league and cup champions.
Yanga will look to confirm advancement to the final round of qualifying in the CAF Champions League on Saturday. They host Angola’s Wiliete SC for the second leg in the first round after securing a 3-0 first leg victory in Angola.
⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.