A solitary strike from Ibtissam Jraidi helped hosts AS FAR beat Simba Queens 1-0 in their opening CAF Women’s Champions League, Morocco 2022 match at Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.
The Tanzanites started the better side in their Sunday’s high profile opening encounter against the hosts with captain Opah Clement and Vivian Odhiambo pulling the strings for Charles Lukula’s side.
The duo combined for the first real opening of the match inside the first quarter but could their efforts from numerous chances failed to hit the target.
The Moroccan Army came alive in the closing quarter of the contest through lively pouring attacks inspired by Soham Boukhami but they were forced to share the spoils with CECAFA qualifiers winners at half time.
The Rabat-based side resumed with more purposeful attacks and were soon rewarded with a breakthrough when Ghizlane Chhiri assisted Jraidi to break the deadlock in the 67th minute.
Simba, however, fought late through substitutes Barakat Olaiya and Koku Kipanga but found no breakthroughs as the Moroccan held on to snatch the maximum points.
A winning start off Woman-of-the-Match winner Jraidi’s boots takes Mohammed Amine Alioua’s side to second on the Group A table with three points but separated by an inferior goal difference of three with Green Buffaloes.
They will be set for a top-of-the-table clash in their next game, locking horns with leaders Buffaloes on November 2 in Rabat.
Simba Queens are third after opening defeat and are now keen on resolving their profligacy in front of goal will be on their minds when they take on fellow debutants Determine Girls in the Group B late kick off tie.
Post-Match Facts : AS FAR 1-0 Simba Queens
- Final score: AS FAR 1 Simba Queens 0
- For a second tournament in a row FAR Women begin with a win, they also won their opening game at the 2021 Finals defeating Nigerian team Rivers Angels of Nigeria 3-0.
- AS FAR have kept a clean sheet in their opening game at the CAF WCL for a second competition in succession.
- Playing their sixth game at a CAF WCL Finals this was AS FAR’s third clean sheet the other two were in their 3-0 win over Nigeria side Rivers Angels in their opening game in 2021, as well as a 0-0 draw against Sundowns Ladies in their final group game in 2021.
- FAR Women defeat a team from the CECAFA region for the first time, after losing to Kenyan side Vihiga Queens 2-0 in 2021, in what was their second group game at the inaugural tournament.
- With FAR Women winning it means that the host team have won their opening game at both the 2021 and 2022 CAF WCL Finals, Wadi Degla the host team in 2021 also started off the inaugural tournament with victory in their first game in 2021 against Malian side AS Mandé 3-1.
- With Simba Queens losing it means that at the 2021 and 2022 CAF WCL the team from the CECAFA region have lost their opening game, in 2021 Kenya side VIhiga Queens were defeated by Sundowns Ladies 1-0.
- Scorer of AS FAR’s only goal in the game Ibtissam Jraidi is the fifth different player to score at least one goal for them at the CAF WCL, she joins Sanaâ Mssoudy, Najat Badri, Fatima Tagnaout and Ghizlane Chebbak as players to have scored at least one goal for AS FAR at the finals.
- AS FAR are the first team to feature at two different CAF WCL Finals and the first team to win at least one game at two CAF WCL Finals.
Source: CAFOnline.com
