CAF Women's Leage
Teenage sensation, Doha El Madani shines as AS FAR cruise past Aigles De La Médina
It was the Doha El Madani show in El Jadida on Saturday evening as the teenage star shone brightly in AS FAR’s 4-0 victory over Aigles De La Médina on Saturday evening in El Jadida.
A brace by the 19-year-old coupled with a converted penalty by veteran skipper, Aziz Rabbah secured a comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts who are looking at reclaiming their title.
Following TP Mazembe’s earlier victory the University of the Western Cape in the afternoon fixture, it was the hosts and debutants who took centre stage at the same venue for the second match of Group A.
As expected, AS FAR took hold of the match from the onset, with coach Mohamed Amine Alioua opting for an all-attacking formation.
It did not take long for the hosts to break the deadlock as teenage star, Doha El Madani positioned herself well to calmly finished off a rebounded ball to open the scoring.
High in confidence, El Madani found her second of the evening after a brilliantly threaded ball by Sanaa Mssoudy concluded with Madani doubling the lead in the 29th minute to get her brace.
The two-goal cushion did not result in the hosts taking their foot off the pedal, as they continued surging forward and with pressure mounting, Aigles De La Médina conceded a penalty for veteran skipper, Aziz Rabbah to step up and comfortably slot it home.
Coming back from the recess, Aigles returned a more structured outfit with less errors in the danger area. However, this was not coupled with good build up play as they struggled getting out of their half.
Hajar Said almost found the fourth for the hosts after a scramble for the ball in defense saw the ball land in the striker’s path who fired her effort into the upright.
With the win firmly in their hands, the hosts continued dominating possession.
Matters could have gotten even worse for the Aigles after Adama Sane was sent for an early shower for a foul in the box on Mssoudy, but Rabbah’s tame penalty was saved by Aya Baghass.
The tie concluded with the hosts securing the three points and going top of Group A ahead of TP Mazembe.
Nigeria’s flagbearers at the African Women’s Champions League, Edo Queens, begin their continental campaign this Sunday in Morocco. They will face fellow debutants Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in a Group B duel.
It is a potentially thrilling clash. Speaking ahead of the clash, Edo Queens coach Moses Aduku said the team remains grounded and focused on being competitive against the best teams in Morocco.
“This is a dream opportunity for us to evaluate ourselves against high-level teams.
“We have already played against some of the best teams and managed to get results in the qualifiers.
“We are therefore confident in our ability to perform well here, and we are determined to remain competitive while giving the best of ourselves,” said Aduku at the pre-match press conference.
The Ethiopian coach, Heye Gizaw Birhanu, said the team’s three attempts to qualify for the tournament have finally paid off, but they remain focused as there is still a lot of work to be done.
“After three attempts, we are finally here and yes, it is a good thing.
“However, this should not be taken for granted; now that we are there, we must give the best of ourselves and continue to surpass ourselves. There is still a lot of work to be done. Qualifying was the first step, now we need to continue to compete.”
CAF Women's Leage
Reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns begin CAF Women’s Champions League title defence
After a first day full of sensations, the Women’s Champions League continues this Sunday at Morocco’s economic capital, Casablanca.
Mamelodi Sundowns, the reigning champions, will take on newcomer, Masar of Egypt in what looks like a North versus South of the continent.
The odds may seem to be heavily stacked against the Egyptians. Their coach, Ahmed Ramadhan, speaking ahead of Sunday’s tie, expressed his full belief in his charges, saying that they were motivated to take on the champions.
“We want to prove our potential. The calendar has reserved for us our most formidable opponent, the reigning champion, Mamelodi Sundowns. This is an excellent opportunity for us to optimise our level against the best,” said the Egyptian coach during the pre-match press conference.
In response, coach Jerry Tshabalala who presented his usual calm demeanour emphasised the importance of not dwelling on their past success, but rather focus on the current task at hand in Morocco.
“Let’s leave the past behind us. Just like 2022, we have a title to defend, but we must not dwell on comparisons. We have learned good lessons from previous participations and we have prepared ourselves accordingly”, said Tshabalala.
TP Mazembe’s objective of lifting the CAF Women’s Champions League got off to a great start in El Jadida after the DR Congo side overcame the University of the Western Cape 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match on Saturday.
Despite a shaky start, Mazembe held their nerve against the relentless attacks of the University side who are making their debut at the finals as COSAFA champions.
Mazembe, who return to the competition after their 2022 appearance secured victory thanks to second half goals by Lacho Marta as well as a late strike by Marveille Nanguji.
It was the South Africans who asked questions of their opponents in the opening minutes with quick attacks that were often problematic for Mazembe.
Most UWC attacks were initiated from the heart of the midfield through the experienced Amogelang Motau who’s visionary passes let through Ntombifikile Ndlovu on a number of occasions, but was let down by her accuracy.
Coming back into the second half, Mazembe came out a much-structured side who thwarted UWC’s attacks.
With momentum and confidence on their side, Mazembe found the opener with Lacho Marta’s well taken strike from close range, beating Thandeka Ngcobo after Mazembe took advantage of some questionable defending from UWC.
The goal destabilised the South Africans who lost control of the game and were duly punished in the 77thminute after a well taken cross by Marta, who turned provider to find Merveille Nanguji who sealed the three points for Mazembe with a clinical header. The result sees the DR Congo side go top of Group A ahead of the later fixture between hosts, AS FAR and Aigles de la Médina.
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