AWCON
Like Morocco, Senegal gets first ever win of a WAFCON match
Senegal achieved a major milestone on Sunday when they beat Uganda 2-0 in Group A at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, to record their first ever win in the history of the competition.
It was in similar fashion that their Group A counterparts and hosts, Morocco did a night before when they earned their first victory in 24 years.
In a hard-fought match, Mame Moussa Cissé’s Teranga Lionesses beat the Ugandans after scoring a goal in each half.
Diakhaté Ndeye opened the scoring for the Senegalese team with a penalty in the 39th minute after Tunisian referee Dorsaf Ganouati had no hesitation in pointing to the spot after a foul on Senegal’s 16-year-old striker Hapsatou Diallo.
Uganda could have equalised a few minutes later through their dangerous Kazakhstan-based striker, Fauzia Najjema, but Lionesses goalkeeper Tenning Sene brilliantly denied Najjema and the Cranes.
Pre-match favourites Uganda laid siege to the Senegal goal, with Najjema hitting the post in the 32nd minute, but somehow Senegal retained their 1-0 lead at half-time.
Senegal doubled their lead through Nguenar Ndiaye five minutes after the break, who finished clinically after being put through by the young rising star of Senegalese football, Hapsatou Diallo.
The goal was a huge blow to the Crested Cranes, who desperately tried to get back in the game to no avail.
Lionesses goalkeeper, Tenning Sene, may have been a peripheral figure for Senegal in the build up to the tournament, but she grabbed her chance brilliantly to be named “Woman of the Match” after a scintillating performance in goal for Senegal.
The 2-0 win for Senegal gives them top spot in Group A, as they leapfrog Morocco, who they join on three points.
Democratic Republic of Congo side, TP Mazembe are officially the champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League Morocco 2024.
A highly tactical and hard fought 1-0 victory in the final played in El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi against former champions and hosts, AS FAR saw the DR Congo side crowned the new champions of Africa for the first time – wiping away tears of their 2022 group stage exit.
With the crowd backing the hosts, Mazembe showed great resilience and courage in taking the match to the former champions who remain in search for what has been an elusive second title for them.
The deciding goal of the fourth edition of the tournament came courtesy of a converted spot kick by Marlene Kasaj in the opening 10 minutes, which Mazembe protected throughout the match to seal the historic victory.
Despite the early concession, AS FAR kept believing and surged forward in search of the leveller, but a resolute Mazembe defense kept the clean sheet throughout the opening half.
Coming back from the break, it was surprisingly Mazembe who looked more dangerous as they came out strong in an attempt to kill off the game.
The hosts eventually found their rhythm but again were met by a disciplined Mazembe defense, who kept the former champions at bay to secure Africa’s most sought-after women’s club football crown.
In addition to the coveted CAF Women’s Champions League trophy, TP Mazembe also take home $600 000 in prize money, while runners-up AS FAR take home $400 000.
-CAF
BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
The National Chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) Samuel Ikpea has tipped the Super Falcons of Nigeria to claim their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations title in Morocco when they begin their campaign next year.
Ikpea’ remarks came after the Friday night draw that put Algeria, Tunisia and Botswana in the same group with the Super Falcons.
“Our girls are going to play in a group with two North African countries (Tunisia and Algeria). “It is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic that our girls will scale from our group”.
Nigeria will tackle two North African teams – Tunisia and Algeria – as well as Botswana, in Group B of the 13th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Morocco next summer.
The Falcons will surely relish another meeting with Algeria’s Green Ladies, whom they defeated 2-0 and 4-1 respectively in two friendly matches in Nigeria last month.
Botswana eliminated Gabon in the qualifying series and Tunisia were the quarter-finalists at the last edition also hosted by Morocco.
At the draw conducted on Friday evening at the Technical Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, outside Rabat, host nation Morocco, earlier slotted into Group A, learnt they will have to cope with Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cup holders South Africa are in Group C and will square up to Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in the three-week, 12-nation final tournament taking place 5th – 26th July 2025.
Hosts Morocco finished as runners-up in the last edition in July 2022, with Zambia taking the bronze after a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in the third-place match.
GROUP A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, DR Congo
GROUP B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana
GROUP C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
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