USM Alger coach Abdelhak Benchikha says the job is not yet done, and the tie is still evenly poised despite beating Tanzania's Young Africans 2-1 in the first leg of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup final in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

The Algerians have the advantage heading to next week's return fixture in Algiers, and only need to avoid defeat to clinch their first ever Continental title.

But Benchikha is demanding focus from his players, and wants them to treat the tie seriously, with less consideration on the result from the first leg.

"Nothing is done yet. The game still remains 50-50. I have experience with these kind of matches as a coach. Yanga will come to Algeria with nothing to lose and we have to remain focused. Yes, we have a small step from the first leg but I know how things can change and we should not lose focus. We will keep working," stated the coach.

Looking back at the late victory in Dar es Salaam, the tactician was elated with the performance and fighting spirit of his players, as well as their tactical awareness in a difficult away outing.

"I am happy with this positive result. We played a very heroic match and we implemented our strategy well. It was tough playing under the rainy conditions but our players showed a superb game and possibly we should have scored more," noted the coach.

He added; "We had a very good balance in defending and attacking and our tactical approach was really good. We did not leave spaces for Yanga to exploit because they have very dangerous players who can punish you."

The tactician admitted they endured a tough second half, but hailed the players' mental strength for ensuring they got a positive result and fought till the end for a win.

He now looks forward to the return tie in Algiers next week.

The return fixture will be played on Saturday at the July 5 Stadium in Algiers.