Semi-final results
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Kawempe Muslim Ladies 4-1
AS FAR vs Lekié Football Filles 1-0
Remaining fixtures
Kawempe Muslim Ladies vs Lekié Football Filles, third-place play-off Saturday, November 14
Mamelodi Sundowns vs AS FAR, final Sunday, November 15
Kampala, Uganda — Kawempe Muslim Ladies’ hopes of reaching the CAF Women’s Champions League final ended on Wednesday after a 4-1 semi-final defeat to South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns in Ismailia, Egypt.
The Ugandan debutants were overwhelmed by a ruthless first-half performance from Sundowns, who scored four times before the break to seal a spot in Sunday’s final against defending champions AS FAR of Morocco.
Ronnel Donnelly was the star of the contest, scoring a hat-trick in the 29th, 35th and 37th minutes before Noxolo Cesane added a fourth goal in the 45th minute.
Kawempe struggled to contain Sundowns’ attacking pressure after initially holding their opponents at bay. Donnelly’s quickfire goals changed the complexion of the match, leaving the Ugandan side with a difficult task before the interval.
The Valley Warriors responded after the break and pulled one goal back through Latifa Nakasi in the 72nd minute.
Nakasi appeared to have scored again deep into stoppage time, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR review after substitute Anita Namata committed a foul in the build-up.
Namata was subsequently sent off after receiving a second yellow card, leaving Kawempe to complete the match with 10 players.
The defeat ended Kawempe’s bid to become the first East African club to reach the final, but their impressive debut campaign is not over.
They will face Cameroonian side Lekié Football Filles in Saturday’s third-place play-off, with an opportunity to finish the competition on the podium.
AS FAR book final place
In the other semi-final, defending champions AS FAR of Morocco defeated tournament debutants Lekié Football Filles 1-0 to set up a final against Sundowns.
Captain and midfielder Ghizlane Chebbak scored the decisive goal two minutes after half-time, reacting to a rebound after her initial effort struck the post.
Lekié had an opportunity to take the lead through Charlene Meyong, but goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi made a save to keep AS FAR in the contest.
The Moroccan side had suffered a 3-2 group-stage defeat to Kawempe but recovered to finish top of Group B and advance to a second consecutive final.
Sunday’s final will see two-time champions Sundowns take on AS FAR, who are seeking to retain their title and become the first club to win the competition three times.
The champions will receive $600,000, while the runners-up will take home $400,000. The third-placed team will earn $350,000, giving Kawempe an additional incentive to win Saturday’s play-off.
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