CAF Women’s Champions League
Group B Sunday Kawempe vs USFAS Bamako – 5:00 PM Ismailia Stadium, Ismailia, Egypt
Kawempe Muslim Ladies will be aiming to keep their historic semi-final hopes alive when they take on Mali’s USFAS Bamako in their final Group B match at the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt on Sunday.
The Ugandan side are seeking to become only the second East African team to reach the competition’s semi-finals, following Tanzania’s Simba Queens, who achieved the feat in 2022. The match will be played at Ismailia Stadium, Ismailia, Egypt, at 5:00 PM.
Kawempe go into the match with three points after beating defending champions AS FAR 3-2 before losing 2-1 to Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
The defeat to Ampem Darkoa left coach Ayub Khalifa Kiyingi with the task of lifting his players ahead of the decisive encounter. He said the team had responded positively during recovery and mental preparation sessions.
“Basically, what I was looking at was to bring back their minds, psychologically prepare them, showing them that it’s not the end. We still have a game to play, and a game that will actually put us into the semi-final. So, we’ve had a very good session, and the response was very positive,” he said.
Kawempe need a win to strengthen their qualification chances, although their progress will also depend on the other Group B match between AS FAR and Ampem Darkoa. A draw could also be enough if AS FAR fail to win.
Their opponents, USFAS, are also chasing a first semi-final appearance but have lost both opening matches, suffering a 5-1 defeat to Ampem Darkoa and a 6-0 loss to AS FAR. The Malian side must beat Kawempe and hope Ampem Darkoa defeat AS FAR.
A victory by at least four goals could put them ahead of Kawempe on head-to-head goal difference in a possible three-team tie.
Kawempe will need to improve defensively after conceding first in both opening matches. They will also be looking to make better use of their scoring opportunities after finding the net four times in the two games.
Source: ChampionSport Reporter
