Manqoba Mngqithi has made an impressive start to his CAF Champions League campaign with Tanzanian giants Young Africans after guiding the team to a convincing 4-0 victory over Madagascar's CFFA in the first leg of their second-round preliminary tie on Saturday.

The emphatic result puts Young Africans in a strong position ahead of the return fixture and provides a major boost for the South African coach, who joined the Tanzanian champions in July after parting ways with Golden Arrows.

Mngqithi's decision to move to Tanzania was reportedly influenced by his desire to return to the CAF Champions League. The experienced coach is familiar with the competition, having been part of the Mamelodi Sundowns technical team when the club won the continental title in 2016. He later served as head coach of the Pretoria-based side.

His latest performance with Young Africans suggests that he is determined to make an impact on Africa's biggest club football stage.

Despite dominating much of the contest, Young Africans had to remain patient before finding the opening goal. Their breakthrough eventually arrived in the 39th minute when Cheikh Touré scored to give the home side a 1-0 advantage at half-time.

However, the match took a completely different turn after the interval, as Mngqithi's men produced a devastating attacking display that effectively settled the contest within 12 minutes.

Albert Kangwanda extended the lead in the 47th minute, giving Young Africans an excellent start to the second half. Mudathir Yahya then made it 3-0 in the 54th minute before Maxi Nzengeli added the fourth goal just five minutes later.

CFFA struggled to cope with the sudden wave of attacks and were unable to find a response as the Tanzanian side took complete control of the encounter.

With a commanding four-goal advantage, Young Africans now head into the second leg as strong favourites to progress to the next stage, although the team will still need to complete the job in the return fixture.

Mngqithi will be keen to ensure that his players remain focused and avoid complacency despite their comfortable lead.

For South African football supporters, the result will also be encouraging as they follow the progress of one of the country's experienced coaches abroad. Attention will now turn to whether Mngqithi can guide Young Africans further in the competition and challenge some of Africa's biggest clubs for continental honours.

https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/caf-champions-league/mngqithis-yanga-take-command-of-cafcl-tie-with-4-0-rout/