Yanga in a do-or die duel

Dar es Salaam. The mainland Tanzania representatives in the Caf Confederation Cup, Young Africans, today clash with Egypty’s Pyramids FC at the June 30 Stadium in Cairo, Egypt.

The match that has been scheduled to start from 9pm is a do-or-die for the Jangwani Street giants in order to qualify for the group phase.

Young Africans need 2-0 victory in order to qualify for the Group Stage, which is to feature 16 teams.

The match is not going to be easy for the Jangwani street boys, who will miss the services of five players namely Paul “Boxer” Godfrey, Kelvin Yondani, David Molinga, Mohamed “Banka” Issa Saidi Juma Makapu, and Mustapha Selemani, who have been left out due to various reasons.

As Banka and Godfrey are sick, Molinga and Selemani are yet to secure the African Football governing body (Caf) players’ licences. Yondani is serving a one-match ban due to booking while Makapu is due to technical reasons.

However, the team’s morale is high following the return of two players, Issa Bigirimana and Raphael Daudi, who were nursing their injuries.

The team’s head coach, Mwinyi Zahera, was also optimistic that they will shine in the encounter.

Zahera said his players need to be very keen in the encounter by utilizing all clear scoring chances.

“We have the chance to win in Egypt; I know there are some soccer fans, who believe that we are already out due to a 2-1 loss at home.

“The same people had the same thought after our 1-1 draw against Township Rollers before winning 1-0 at their home ground and they were stunned,” said Zahera.

The team’s captain, Papy Kabamba Tshishimbi, said they are well-focused ahead of the encounter as their aim is to emerge victorious.

“You cannot predict results after the first match results. We lost 2-1 at the home ground. That does not mean that we are out of the competition. We are going to turn the tables as we did against Township Rollers of Botswana,” said Tshishimbi. He called on all soccer fans in the country to give them moral support and make them qualify for the group phase. “It is only Tanzania’s team that has remained in the competition. We are representing the country, we need support from all football stakeholders,” he said.

However, Young Africans should not expect victory easily following the seriousness shown by Pyramids FC during their first leg playoff.

The players have to sweat as Pyramids FC have invested a lot of money in recruiting best players.