Yanga created the first meaningful chances of the contest and finished the opening half with four attempts on goal, two of them on target
Dar es Salaam. Young Africans (Yanga) were beaten 2–0 by African champions Al Ahly in their CAF Champions’ League Group B encounter played on Friday night at Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria, as Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet struck twice to secure maximum points for the hosts.
The match began at a high tempo, with Yanga showing confidence and tactical discipline despite playing away from home.
The Tanzanian champions matched Al Ahly in midfield exchanges and looked dangerous on the counter-attack, testing the Egyptian defence early through Allan Okello and quick transitions.
Yanga created the first meaningful chances of the contest and finished the opening half with four attempts on goal, two of them on target.
Al Ahly goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir was called into action inside the opening 15 minutes, producing a sharp save before defender Yasser Ibrahim cleared the danger as Yanga threatened to take control.
Despite enjoying long spells of possession, Al Ahly struggled to create clear-cut opportunities for much of the first half. Their breakthrough eventually came in stoppage time.
Mohamed Hany delivered a teasing cross from the right flank, and Trezeguet rose above his marker to guide a header towards goal.
The ball slipped under the hand of goalkeeper Djigui Diarra, giving the hosts a 1–0 lead in the 45+3rd minute.
Yanga head coach Pedro Gonçalves had made several changes from the side that defeated Mashujaa in the Mainland Premier League.
Diarra returned in goal ahead of Abuutwalib Mshery, Israel Mwenda started at right-back in place of Kibwana Shomary, while Laurindo “Depu” Dilson led the attack after scoring and providing an assist in the previous match. Playmaker Pacôme Zouzoua began on the bench as Pedro switched to a 3-5-2 formation from his usual 4-2-3-1.
After the break, Yanga continued to push for an equaliser and went close again when a low drive nearly caught Shobeir off guard, but the Al Ahly goalkeeper reacted quickly to preserve his side’s lead.
Pedro made a double change at the start of the second half, introducing Pacôme Zouzoua and Mudathir Yahya for Mwenda and the already-booked Mohamed Damaro in a bid to add attacking impetus. While the substitutions increased Yanga’s forward momentum, they also allowed Al Ahly greater space in transition.
As the match wore on, Al Ahly gradually asserted more control and doubled their advantage in the 75th minute. Trezeguet collected the ball inside the penalty area, shifted it onto his right foot and fired a powerful finish beyond Diarra to complete his brace.
Pedro responded with further substitutions, bringing on Mohammed Hussein and Yao for Boka and Job to regain stability, while Prince Dube was later introduced to strengthen the attack.
Yanga pushed late on and almost pulled one back, only for Shobeir to produce another fine save. Al Ahly, meanwhile, passed up opportunities to add a third goal in the closing stages.
The victory extended Al Ahly’s unbeaten start to the group stage and lifted them to the top of Group B with seven points from three matches. Yanga remain second on four points as the competition moves towards its decisive phase.
The defeat ended Yanga’s four-month unbeaten run, which dated back to October 18, 2025, and continued their challenging away record against Al Ahly in Egypt.
Attention now turns to the return fixture scheduled for January 30 at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar, where Yanga will be looking to respond strongly and keep their CAF Champions League ambitions on track.
