By KOPANO MONAHENG
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies sent out a strong statement of intent in their semifinal match of the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier, thumping hapless Gaborone United FC 5-0 at the Gaborone United Stadium in Botswana yesterday.
The Tshwane side, who have had the best of times, winning this competition in 2021 and 2023 and finishing runners-up in 2022 and 2024, have started this edition like a house on fire and look determined to make a big impression in the capital city of Botswana.
The no-nonsense South African side destroyed Costa do Sol of Mozambique 4-1 to reach the semifinals, where they won 5-0 thanks to a brace by Refilwe Tholakele and goals from Nonhlanhla Mthandi, Isabella Ludwig and Wendy Shongwe.
Banyana Ba Style will face ZESCO Ndola Girls in the final tomorrow at the same venue, (Gaborone Stadium), with kick-off at 6pm.
Sundowns coach Godfrey Sapula, who has guided the two-time African champions into the final after dethroning the home side, will be hoping his team can lift the trophy tomorrow evening.
Speaking after the emphatic victory, Sapula said:
“Yeah, I think it was a good game of football today. I think the players were really good, you know, but it was not an easy game, especially in the first quarter of the game.
“The first 15, 20 minutes, I think they also tried to press us high. They put more players to press high, and we struggled a bit to deal with that. But we quickly found a solution,” he said.
Banyana ba Style are starting to believe they can win it looking at the number of goals they scored against their opponents. “We’re really pleased that we were able to score five goals again here today. I give credit to the players. They deserve all the credit,” said Sapula.
He said they kept the intensity from the first whistle to the last. “The tempo was high. Our pressing game was really good, but also, when we lost the ball, our counter-press was really good. We were able to recover the ball quickly.
“You know, as I said even last time, we are driven by our own ambition. Again, we’re going to remain humble and make sure that we prepare the best way possible, because our objective is not reached yet. We want to win the trophy, and for us to do that, we want to play very well against ZESCO.”
The winner of the final will book a place at the continental CAF Women’s Champions League finals later in the year.
Image by: Mamelodi Sundowns
