Young Africans SC saw their hopes of reaching the CAF Champions League quarter-finals suffer a blow after a narrow 1–0 defeat away to AS FAR Rabat in their Group B match in Morocco.
The match, played on February 7, 2026, was finely poised for much of the contest before AS FAR capitalised late on, using their home advantage to secure a vital three points that significantly altered the complexion of the group.
Anas Bach scored the decisive goal in the 85th minute, unleashing a strike that beat Yanga goalkeeper Djigui Diarra after the visitors failed to deal with sustained pressure in their defensive third.
The result leaves Yanga with five points from four matches, dropping them to third place in Group B and leaving their route to the knockout stage increasingly complex.
AS FAR Rabat, by contrast, moved to eight points, strengthening their position in the race for quarter-final qualification and placing the pressure firmly on their rivals ahead of the final round of fixtures.
Despite the defeat, Yanga produced spells of positive attacking football and created several promising openings, but were unable to convert their chances when it mattered most.
Head coach made a key change in the 67th minute, introducing Clement Mzize for Laurindo Depu, marking the striker’s return to competitive action after nearly four months on the sidelines through injury.
Yanga came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 76th minute when Mudathir Yahya split the defence with a precise pass to Prince Dube, whose effort struck the post and rebounded away from danger.
AS FAR pressed for a second goal in the closing stages and almost found it late on, but Yanga’s defence managed to clear a dangerous delivery in the 89th minute to keep the scoreline tight.
The encounter was the second meeting between the two sides in this season’s group stage, with honours now even after each team recorded a home victory.
In the reverse fixture played in Tanzania, Yanga had edged AS FAR Rabat 1–0, a result that initially placed the Tanzanian champions in a strong position within the group.
However, the defeat in Morocco has shifted the balance, forcing Yanga into a must-win scenario as the group stage reaches its conclusion.
Yanga will now need victory in their final group match against Algeria’s JS Kabylie to keep their quarter-final ambitions alive.
Meanwhile, AS FAR Rabat face a demanding away fixture against African heavyweights Al Ahly, a result that could prove decisive in determining the final group standings.
Under CAF regulations, teams finishing level on points are separated first by head-to-head results, before goal difference is taken into account.
That rule offers Yanga a degree of encouragement due to their earlier win over AS FAR Rabat, but their fate remains only partly in their own hands.
With qualification still possible but far from assured, Yanga must now deliver under pressure in the final round while hoping for favourable results elsewhere to sustain their CAF Champions League campaign.
