Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have been crowned Queens of the Continent at club level after they defeated SC Casablanca of Morocco 3-0 at Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on Sunday evening (19 November 2023) to reclaim the CAF Women’s Champions League title they won in 2021.
Two goals from Botswana international Refilwe Tholakele, with Lesotho’s finest, Boitumelo Rabale, chipping in with one, were enough to see the Brazilians set a record of sailing through the tournament without conceding in five games. They scored 10 in the process, with Tholakele responsible for half the goals.
After claiming the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA title, and now the continental title, Sundowns Ladies are in line for a treble as they turn their attention to the domestic league, the Hollywoodbets Super League.
They have to fend off a strong challenge from the title-chasing University of the Western Cape (UWC) who are already top of the table with six points ahead – the Brazilians have three games in hand.
SUNDOWNS LADIES ROUTE TO THE FINAL:
| GROUP STAGES | |||
| RESULT | OPPONENT | SCORERS | |
| 2 – 0 | vs JKT Queens | Lebohang Ramalepe, Refilwe Tholakele | |
| 1 – 0 | vs SC Casablanca | Melinda Kgadiete | |
| 3 – 0 | vs Athlético Abidjan | OG, Tholakele x2 | |
| SEMI-FINALS | |||
| 1 – 0 | AS FAR | Boitumelo Rabale | |
| FINAL | 3 – 0 | SC CASABLANCA | Tholakele x2, Rabale |
This was the second time the two teams faced each other in the competition, with Sundowns Ladies now two-up following the 1-0 win the group stages.
It was also the second time the South Africans took on a North African opposition, Moroccan in particular, in the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League – last year they relinquished their title to AS FAR, whom they beat in the semi-final this year en route to the final.
Sundowns Ladies will be smiling all the way to the bank with a whopping USD 400,000 (R 7 337 268,00) for the winners, while SC Casablanca will pocket USD 250,000 (R 4 585 792,50).
CAF Women’s Champions League Prize Money:
- USD 400,000 = R 7 337 268,00
- USD 250,000 = R 4 585 792,50
- USD 200,000 = R 3 668 634,00 – semi-finalist
- USD 200,000 = R 3 668 634,00 – semi-finalist
So impressive were the Sundowns Ladies that they made a clean sweep in the awards that were presented after the tournament.
Banyana Banyana’s Andile Dlamini, was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament, a feat she also achieved in 2021 in Egypt before going on to lead Banyana Banyana to the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco in 2022.
This year, she was in goals in four matches and never let anything, with her experience coming to the fore in the final as she denied SC Casablanca on several occasions.
Sedilame Boseja also kept a clean sheet when she was called upon in the last group stages match against Athlético de Abidjan (3-0).
Andile Dlamini in Goals:
Group Stage:
vs 2 – 0 JKT Queens
vs 1- 0 SC Casablanca
Semi-Finals:
vs 1 – 0 AS FAR
Final:
vs 3 – 0 SC Casablanca
It came as no surprise when Botswana forward Tholakele scooped the Top Goal scorer Award with five goals to her name.
She scored a brace in the final, but prior to that, Tholakele was on target against JKT Queens and twice against Athlético Abidjan.
Rabale was the obvious choice when it came to the Player of the Tournament as she was the livewire for the Sundowns Ladies, playing alongside Tholakele.
She was named Player of the Match on two occasions, to go with the two goals she netted in the tournament (vs AS FAR and SC Casablanca).
The team also walked away with the Fair Play award following an impressive performance and great sportsmanship spirit.
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS:
Fair Play Team of the Tournament
Mamelodi Sundowns
Top goal scorer of the tournament
Tholakele Refilwe (5 Goals)
Goalkeeper of the tournament
Andile Dlamini – Sundowns
Best player of the tournament
Boitumelo Rabale
WHAT THE COACHES SAID:
Jerry Tshabalala – Sundowns Ladies
“When you see me happy, I try to rub it onto my players. A happy player will always deliver results for the team. We want to keep on doing good. Now the target, we are hoping that one day we will have a (Women’s) Club World Cup and we will go represent as the African champions.”
Mehdi El Qaichori – SC Casablanca
“It was a good experience from the team. I want to congratulate Mamelodi Sundowns for the win. They played very well today and were the better team. This was a great tournament which is also good for women’s football in Africa.”
AS FAR Rabat finished in third place after beating Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa 2-0 in the battle for bronze played on Saturday, 18 November.
