DEFENDING champions Young Africans (Yanga) made a winning start to their Tanzania Mainland Premier League campaign with a 3–0 victory over Pamba Jiji FC at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

Goals from Malian midfielder Lassine Kouma in first-half stoppage time, Congolese winger Maxi Mpia Nzengeli in the 63rd minute, and Zanzibar international Mudathir Yahya Abbas deep into added time sealed a comfortable win for the champions.

 The result extended Young Africans’ perfect run in competitive matches this season - three games played, seven goals scored, and none conceded - but head coach Romain Folz (pictured) admitted he was far from satisfied with his side’s first-half display. “It was not great in the first half, especially technically. That was the one element that was missing - it was very messy,” Folz told reporters after the match. 

 “We missed a lot of very simple passes, and I was very unhappy at halftime. But it was very easy to see what we needed to fix, both technically and tactically, so we made the adjustments and came back stronger." Folz praised his players for responding positively after the break and acknowledged the effort from their opponents despite the score line.

 “I already knew before coming that it’s a good league. Every team is going to give their very best shot against us, and we’re very much prepared for that,” he said. “Credit to Pamba Jiji - they are a strong team, they fought until the very end. Even at 3–0, they were still pushing.”

 The French tactician reiterated that Young Africans must stay sharp as they target a fifth consecutive league title. “Every game is going to be a challenge, but as I always say, we’re ready for everything coming ahead of us,” Folz concluded.

 Young Africans will now switch focus to continental duty as they prepare to host Angolan side Wiliete in the second leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round on Saturday. The Tanzanian giants carry a commanding 3–0 advantage from the first leg away in Angola, putting them in a strong position to advance to the next round.