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Azam toss out Yanga from Cecafa Club Championship


Five-time Cecafa Club champions Yanga FC were on Wednesday bundled out of the tournament after suffering a 5-3 loss to compatriots Azam on post-match penalties at the national Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

The entertaining match had all the elements of a final but neither team was able to clinch outright victory in 90 minutes of regulation time.

John Bocco, Pascal Wawa, Aggrey Ambros, Hamid Mkami and Kipre Cheche converted their spot kicks for Azam after the two teams settled for a barren draw in regulation time.

Haji Mwinyi was the villain after effort was saved by Azam custodian Salum Manula.

“Any team could have won this match. It was a 50-50 contest and I think it should have been a final match. I am very impressed with the performance of my players because they matched the opponent on every level,” Azam coach Stewart Hall said after the match.

SEMI FINAL FIXTURE

Azam had booked their place in the last eight having finished top of Group C with three wins from as many matches. Yanga on their part finished in second in Group A with 9 points.

Both teams showed their intentions of winning the match with Yanga goalkeeper Ally Mustafa being called upon twice to repel the efforts of Azam forward Shomari Kapombe and Kipre Cheche. Yanga too with Donald Ngoma and Mwinyi coming close in the first half.

In the first quarterfinal match played at the same venue, Ugandan champions KCCA blew away Sudan’s Al Shandy 3-0 to book a date with Gor Mahia in the semis.

Team captain Tom Masiko had led by example by scoring two goals with Joseph Ochaya also on the score sheet.

Gor Mahia will face Al Khartoum in Friday’s first semi final match before Azam takes on KCCA. The tournament will conclude on Sunday.