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At the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, Phokeng
- Marumo Gallants' dreamy CAF Confederations Cup run came to an end when they were beaten 2-1 by Tanzania's Young Africans on Wednesday evening in Phokeng.
- Young Africans won the semi-final tie 4-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg last week 2-0 in Dar es Salaam.
- Goals from Fiston Kalala Mayele and Kennedy Musonda ensured Yanga will cruise into the final, where they await the winners of the tie between Algeria's USM Alger and Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosa.
Good things always come to an end, but Marumo Gallants certainly didn't expect their dreamy CAF Confederations Cup dream of being snuffed out in such a cold and calculating manner by Young Africans on Wednesday.
But it was as the aggressive and street-smart Tanzanians, buoyed by a large Tanzanian diaspora that gave them a home ground feel in Phokeng, that cruised past Gallants 2-1 to book themselves a place in the two-legged final later this month and early June.
There was a vast difference in the teams as Yanga looked every bit the log leaders of the Tanzanian league while Gallants were left to chase shadows.
It wasn't the exit Gallants envisaged, but they at least can focus on their relegation scrap when they face Swallows FC in Dobsonville on Saturday.
Once Fiston Kalala Mayele bulleted his rebounded shot into the net after Washington Arubi had saved the initial attempt, it was all over bar the shouting for the hosts, who indeed felt like visitors as the large Tanzania crowd dwarfed the small South African contingent that relied on a beating drum to mount some sort of crowd challenge.
Mayele turned provider for Kennedy Musonda in the second half as the well-supported visitors killed off the contest with greater ease than they expected.
Gallants did score through Ranga Chivaviro deep in the encounter, but it was futile as the game, and the tie, by extension, was done and dusted.
Both teams had more than decent opportunities to take the game by the scruff of the neck, but Gallants were not only shot down by their inexperience but their inability to convert their opportunities.
They had three very good ones in the first half that should have levelled out the tie and given them every reason to push for the title.
One of the golden chances spurned was from in-form sharp-shooter Chivaviro in the 28th minute, but he couldn't beat Young Africans goalkeeper Djigui Diarra in a one-on-one situation.
Two minutes earlier, Letsie Koapeng had also fluffed a chance when he was put away on the left-hand side, but his shot went wide of Diarra's posts.
Arubi was kept very busy with Kennedy Musonda and Mudathiri Abbasi testing him with shots.
Arubi did well to keep out Musonda's 31st-minute shot, but in the 38th and 39th minutes, the visitors signalled every intention to wrap up the tie.
With the 38th-minute chance, Mayele beat the Gallants defence on the left and crossed to Abbasi, whose chance was saved by Arubi.
A minute later, Musonda had a lovely run down the left-hand side and found Abbasi roaming on the inside, but the attacking midfielder blasted his shot over the bar.
Gallants did have chances in the 33rd and 44th minutes through Celimpilo Ngema and Letsie Koapeng, but they were not converted.
They were duly punished in the 45th minute when Mayele beat Tshepo Gumede off a ball in midfield in his own half and hared all the way to the other end to score.
The visitors looked to kill the game in the second half, but Lesiba Nku blocked a dangerous cross early on.
Yanga, though, had all the momentum and made it count in the 63rd minute when Mayele motored past Gumede on the right-hand side before sending in a cross that Musonda rifled past Arubi.
The fight departed the South Africans, who could only mount spasmodic attacks that didn't do much to frighten the Yanga defence.
They should have had a third in the 83rd minute but fluffed it when Moloko Ducapel's cross was missed by Faridi Shah.
Chivaviro scored in referee's optional time to bring some respectability to the score, but Yanga's date against either ASEC Mimosa or USM Alger was long booked.
