Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Zesco Ndola Girls recorded big wins on the opening day of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers as they underlined their potential in Group A and suggested they will be the teams to beat in Johannesburg.
A record ten clubs from around the Southern African region are vying for a single spot in the continental finals later this year, and two-time African champions Sundowns and regional debutants Zesco have made a fine start at the University of Johannesburg’s AW Muller Stadium.
Zesco defeated another side making their maiden appearance, Beauties FC from Namibia, 3-0 as they did all their scoring in the first half.
They were ahead after 21 minutes through captain Avell Chitundu, before a pair of penalties from Penelope Mulubwa and Eneless Phiri gave Zesco the handsome win.
The Zambians will be hoping to match compatriots Green Buffaloes, who lifted the trophy in 2022 when they defeated Sundowns Ladies on penalties in the final in Durban.
Sundowns Ladies have never lost a fixture outright in the competition and Ntopwa FC of Malawi were no match for the experience of the South Africans, who also won 3-0.
Botswana forward Refilwe Tholakele netted a brace for Sundowns Ladies and Nthabiseng Majiya added a second as they were comprehensive winners.
Sundowns Ladies and Zesco will clash in a potential group decider on Sunday.
The action continues on Saturday with the opening matches in the three-team Groups B and C.
Last year’s beaten finalists Gaborone United take on Eswatini’s Young Buffaloes in the first match in Group B, which kicks off at 12h00 (10h00 GMT).
Gaborone only lost out on the title last year on penalties and will believe they can turn silver into gold.
The first game in Group C sees Herentals Queens from Zimbabwe clash with Costa do Sol of Mozambique. Both sides have experience of this competition before.
Entrance for fans to all matches will be FREE of charge. If you cannot get to the stadium, you can watch all matches streamed LIVE on FIFA+.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Group A
Beauties FC 0 Zesco Ndola Girls 3 (Chitundu 21’ Mulubwa 41’pen, Phiri 45’pen)
Mamelodi Sundowns 3 (Tholakele 15’, 43’, Majiya 54’) Ntopwa FC 0
SATURDAY’S FIXTURES
Group B
Gaborone United vs Young Buffaloes (KO 12h00; 10h00 GMT)
Group C
Herentals Queens vs Costa do Sol (KO 15h00; 13h00 GMT)
GROUP STANDINGS
| GROUP A | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Zesco Ndola Girls (Zambia) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Beauties FC (Namibia) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| Ntopwa FC (Malawi) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
| GROUP B | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Gaborone United (Botswana) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kick4Life (Lesotho) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Young Buffaloes (Eswatini) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GROUP C | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
| Costa do Sol (Mozambique) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Olympic de Moroni (Comoros) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
TOURNAMENT STATS:
Matches Played: 2
Goals scored: 6
Biggest victory:
Beauties FC 0 Zesco Ndola Girls 3 (Group A, August 22); Mamelodi Sundowns 3 Ntopwa FC 0 (Group A, August 22)
Most goals in a game:
3 – Beauties FC 0 Zesco Ndola Girls 3 (Group A, August 22); Mamelodi Sundowns 3 Ntopwa FC 0 (Group A, August 22)
GOALSCORERS:
2 goals – Refilwe Tholakele (Mamelodi Sundowns)
1 – Avell Chitundu (Zambia), Nthabiseng Majiya (Mamelodi Sundowns), Penelope Mulubwa (Zambia), Eneless Phiri (Zambia)
Source: COSAFA.com
