Photo Courtesy Yanga SC Media.
After missing out on a quarter-final slot in the Caf Champions League, Young Africans (Yanga SC) head coach Sead Ramovic has shifted his focus to defending the Mainland Tanzanian Premier League title this season.
The Timu ya Mwananchi missed out on a qualification to the knock out stages of the lucrative competition following a 1-1 draw against MC Alger in their final Group A fixture staged at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday.
Going into the matchday six fixture, Yanga needed to win the game to qualify while Alger needed a draw to progress. However, despite dominating the game, it was the Algerian outfit, who had the last laugh to punch their ticket to the last sixteen alongside leaders Al Hilal, who had already qualified with two matches to spare.
“We have now refocused on the Mainland Premier League and the FA Cup. Our priority is to defend the league and cup titles.” Ramovic said as quoted by Daily News. “It’s painful to be out of the Champions League, but we need to trust the process and keep working to improve.”
Ramovic continued: “We took the game seriously and tried to win it. We had big chances, but unfortunately, we could not convert them into goals. It’s a tough lesson, but we will learn from this.”
He further took responsibility for the team’s failure not to qualify: “It was a collective effort, but I take full responsibility for the failure to advance. We will continue to improve and aim to finish the season strong in our domestic competitions.”
Yanga are currently sitting second on the league table with 39 points, one less rivals Simba SC, who are topping the chart with 40.
While Yanga failed to qualify, Simba secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup after beating CS Constantine 2-0 to top their Group A.
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