Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies began their COSAFA CAF Champions Women’s League campaign with a comprehensive 8-1 victory over Mozambique’s Costa Do Sol on Sunday afternoon.
Sundowns opened the goalscoring in just the second minute, with Melinda Kgadiete making it 1-0 to the defending champions.
It was one-way traffic for Jerry Tshabalala’s team, who had countless chances to add to their tally, but it took another 28 minutes to get the second goal, when Andisiwe Mgcoyi was on hand to tap in from close range on the half hour mark.
It was 3-0 three minutes later, as Kgadiete added her second, bundling it in from close range (the goal was accredited to Mgcoyi at first, but Kgadiete was adjudged to have got the final touch).
A penalty was awarded in the 37th minute for a handball, and captain Zanele Nhlapo stepped up to convert and make it 4-0.
It was 5-0 just before half-time, Kgadiete heading in to confirm her hat-trick and Sundowns’ dominance in the first half.
Downs made it 6-0 in the 53rd minute, Michele Minnies adding to the tally with a good finish, while an own goal eight minutes later made it 7-0.
The onslaught continued and Rhoda Mulaudzi made it 8-0 in the 69th minute with a clinical finish.
Costa Do Sol were awarded a penalty in the 75th minute, after a cross struck Nhlapo’s arm. Cidalia Cuta made no mistake to give the Mozambicans a consolation goal.
But it was all Sundowns, and while they will be delighted with the big win, it really could have been a gigantic score, with the South African side missing a lot more than they scored.
The COSAFA finals are held in Durban from 7 to 13 August, when the champion clubs from around the COSAFA region will converge for the second staging of the championship after a hugely successful inaugural event in 2021.
The winners in Durban will advance to the 2022 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League finals that are to be held in Morocco later in the year, and where local side AS FAR await as hosts.
