USMA star Merili strikes late to down Young Africans in Dar

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

USM Alger's Islam Merili emerged as the hero of the match, scoring a crucial 84th-minute winner that propelled his team closer to their first-ever continental trophy. 

In a tightly contested first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, USM Alger edged past Young Africans (Yanga) with a 2-1 victory.

It was a dramatic conclusion to the match, as Yanga believed they had leveled the score in the 82nd minute through Fiston Mayele's exceptional goal.

However, the Algerians quickly dashed their hopes by finding the winner just two minutes later. Aimen Mahious had previously opened the scoring in the 32nd minute.

Yanga, renowned for their strong performances at home, suffered their first defeat in the tournament this season. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to salvage even a draw, leaving them with an uphill battle in the second leg.

USM Alger broke the deadlock during the first half when Mahious leaped to head home a well-delivered cross from Brahim Benzaza, who had expertly executed a free-kick from the left flank.

The goal provided the Algerians with the much-needed momentum and put them in a favourable position.

Yanga, fueled by the energetic atmosphere of the fully packed Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, made a positive start to the match.

Tuisila Kisinda tested the goalkeeper with a powerful shot, while Mudathir Yahya attempted an effort from distance that narrowly sailed over the crossbar.

In the 23rd minute, Mayele found himself in a promising position after evading a defender on the left. However, from a difficult angle, he could only manage to strike the ball across the face of the goal.

Yanga displayed resilience after conceding in the 32nd minute and intensified their efforts to equalize. They came close to scoring just before halftime when Kisinda unleashed a fierce strike from the right, but his attempt narrowly missed the target.

In the second half, the Tanzanians started with a sense of urgency, putting immense pressure on their opponents in their pursuit of an equalizer. They had a golden opportunity in the 69th minute when Yahya found himself inside the box, but the goalkeeper intervened and turned his shot behind for a corner.

Yanga's persistence paid off in the 82nd minute when Mayele produced a moment of brilliance. Controlling a pass from Yahya with his first touch, he unleashed a powerful shot into the bottom right corner with his second touch, drawing the home crowd into a frenzy.

However, just as Yanga believed they had battled their way back into contention, their hopes were shattered two minutes later. Merili calmly side-footed the ball into the net after excellent setup play from Khaled Bousseliou inside the box, leaving the home fans stunned and silenced.

Yanga fought valiantly in the remaining minutes, but their efforts proved futile. Despite ten minutes of added time, they failed to salvage a draw, leaving USM Alger with a significant advantage heading into the second leg.