Home defeat leaves Yanga with uphill task in CAF final

Dar es Salaam. Yanga have a mountain to climb in the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup final after losing 2-1 to USM Alger of Algeria in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

USM Alger will host Yanga in the return leg on June 3 in Algiers, with the visitors needing to win by at least two clear goals to make history as the first Tanzanian club to win a continental title.

Islam Merili ended his 984-minute CAF Confederation Cup goal drought to give USM Alger a valuable away win at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

He struck the match-winner after 84 minutes after moving unchallenged into the box and side-footed a pass into the net past Malian goalkeeper Djigui Diarra.

His only previous Confederation Cup goal this season came in the final minute of a play-off victory over Cape Town City of South Africa last November.

Yanga believed they had salvaged a draw by equalising through star Fiston Mayele just two minutes before Merili netted.

Appearing to pose no immediate threat when he received possession just inside the box, Mayele sent a half-volley flying into the near corner of the net past goalkeeper Oussama Benbot.

The Democratic Republic of Congo-born forward became the joint leading scorer in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League with his seventh goal of the campaign.

If he scores in the second leg, he will claim the Golden Boot, as the run of co-leader Ranga Chivaviro from South African club Marumo Gallants ended in the semi-finals.

USM went ahead on 32 minutes when Aymen Mahious surged forward to get in front of two defenders and nod a Brahim Benzaza free-kick into the net at the far post.

It was his fourth African goal this season, but first in the knockout stages after failing to find the net in the two-leg quarter-finals and semi-finals. USM are only the second team to win away in the first leg of a Confederation Cup final -- Tunisian club CS Sfaxien triumphed 4-2 over Al Merrikh of Sudan in Omdurman 16 years ago.

The Algiers outfit is hoping to become the first club from the north African nation to lift the trophy after compatriots Entente Setif, Mouloudia Bejaia, and JS Kabylie lost the finals.

History is stacked in their favour, as home sides have won 11 and drawn four of 16 previous second legs, with 2010 winners FUS Rabat of Morocco the only team to succeed.

Success for USM will maintain a north African dominance of the Confederation Cup, with the last five finals being won by clubs from the region.

Yanga are attempting to become only the third East African club after Gor Mahia of Kenya and Merrikh to win a CAF club competition in 150 finals since the first in 1964.

Additional reporting by AFP