CAF names Mzize Player of the Week after stunning TP Mazembe brace
What you need to know:
- Mzize has long been on the radar of several top clubs across the continent and has continued to enhance his reputation with stellar performances in recent months.
Dar es Salaam. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has named Young Africans (Yanga) striker Clement Mzize as the Player of the Week for the latest round of CAF Champions League matches.
Yanga reignited their bid for a place in the knockout rounds of the CAF Champions League with a 3-1 home victory over TP Mazembe this past weekend, thanks to a brace from the 20-year-old striker.
Mzize has long been on the radar of several top clubs across the continent and has continued to enhance his reputation with stellar performances in recent months.
His brace against Mazembe brought his tally in this year’s Champions League to three goals in three appearances (two starts), keeping Yanga’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive.
Mzize’s first goal was a spectacular long-range strike from 30 yards, arrowing into the top corner to draw Yanga level.
His second was a more conventional finish, calmly sliding the ball past the goalkeeper to seal a 3-1 victory.
Mzize has already matched his tally from the 2023/24 Champions League season, in which he scored three goals in 10 appearances (five starts).
He also played a pivotal role in Yanga’s journey to the final of the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup.
Under new coach Sead Ramovic, Mzize looks set to play a central role if Yanga are to advance to the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League.
Group A currently sees Al Hilal leading with a secured spot in the next stage, while MC Alger (five points), Yanga (four points), and Mazembe (two points) battle for the remaining berth.
Yanga will face Al Hilal away this Sunday before hosting MC Alger on January 18.
The Jangwani Street outfit departs for Mauritania on January 9, 2025, ahead of their crucial clash against Al Hilal.
However, Yanga will be without three key players for the match: Maxi Nzengeli, Kouassi Attohoula Yao, and Aziz Andambwile, who are unfit for the encounter.
On a positive note, Zambian attacking midfielder Clatous Chama has fully recovered and will be available for selection.
