CAF Women’s Champions League, Semi-Finals
Wednesday AS FAR (Morocco) vs Lekié Football Filles (Cameroon) 4pm Kawempe (Uganda) vs Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) 7pm
Kawempe Muslim Ladies will need a strong defensive performance when they take on South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League on Wednesday.
The Ugandan debutants face one of the tournament’s most experienced sides at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, with Sundowns targeting a third continental title.
Sundowns have won all four of their previous matches against East African opposition at the competition without conceding a goal. Their record includes victories over Kenya’s Vihiga Queens, Tanzania’s Simba Queens and JKT Queens, and Ethiopia’s Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
The South Africans have also reached the semi-finals unbeaten in their previous three appearances, progressing to the final on each occasion.
Kawempe, however, have shown they can compete against established African clubs. They beat Moroccan giants AS FAR 3-2 in the group stage before defeating Mali’s USFAS Bamako 3-0 to secure their place in the last four.
Coach Ayub Khalifah acknowledged the quality of their next opponents but said his team would concentrate on its own approach.
“The team, I know, is strong. They have taken this trophy two times. But as Kawempe, we are going to go back to our game. We are going to concentrate and find a way of winning them,” Khalifah said.
Kawempe will also draw confidence from their attacking form. They have scored in all three group matches, with Agnes Nabukenya leading the way on four goals.
Goalkeeper Josephine Nambuya kept her first clean sheet of the tournament in the victory over USFAS Bamako, a performance the team will hope to build on against Sundowns.
A place in the final would make Kawempe the first East African club to reach the competition's showpiece match.
Source: ChampionSport Reporter
