Star midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki capped off the scoring as Young Africans of Tanzania defeated Vital’O of Burundi 4-0 on Saturday in a CAF Champions League qualifier.
Zimbabwean Prince Dube scored the only goal of the first half, with Zambian Clatous Chama and Tanzanian Clement Mzize also finding the net before Ki sealed the rout in the 85th minute.
Vital’O, making their return to Africa’s premier club competition after a six-year hiatus, were disadvantaged by having to host the first leg in Tanzania due to Burundi’s lack of an international-standard stadium.
Ki, who was born in Ivory Coast but plays for Burkina Faso internationally, has drawn interest from clubs in South Africa and Morocco. However, Argentina-born Miguel Gamondi has insisted on retaining Ki and other key players if he is to continue coaching Young Africans.
Young Africans, who were runners-up to USMA of Algeria in the 2023 CAF Confederation Cup and narrowly missed out on the CAF Champions League quarter-finals last season, were also involved in a controversial VAR decision during the last-eight clash against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, where Ki’s goal was disallowed despite appearing to cross the goal line.
If Young Africans advance to the second round after the return leg next Saturday, they will face either Villa of Uganda or Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. The Ethiopians defeated Villa 2-1 in Kampala, with the Ugandans finishing the match with one less player due to a red card.
In other matches, Raja Casablanca of Morocco, who have won the Champions League three times, continued their strong domestic form with a 2-1 away win over AS GNN of Niger in Niamey. Despite conceding an equalizer in the 20th minute, Raja secured the victory with a 66th-minute goal from Marouane Zila.
Raja, who recently won the 2024 Moroccan league and cup double under German coach Josef Zinnbauer, have been overshadowed in recent Champions League seasons by their arch-rivals Wydad Casablanca.
Former African champions Stade Abidjan of Ivory Coast, competing in the Champions League for the first time since 1970, needed an injury-time goal to secure a 1-1 draw at home against Teungeuth of Senegal.
