ASFAR have beaten 9-woman Mamelodi Sundowns 4-0 in the CAF Women’s Champions League final on Sunday evening.
Fatima Tagnaout’s 16th minute penalty and Ibtissam Jraidi’s second half hat-trick saw ASFAR of Morocco to dethrone Sundowns Ladies, as the TotalEnerrgies CAF Women’s Champions League champions in Rabat on Sunday night.
Sundowns coach Jerry Tshabalala made three changes from the semi-final squad dropping Karabo Makhurubetshi, Amanda Mthandi and Oreratile Mokwena and starting with Thalea Smidt, Regina Mogolola and Rhoda Mulaudzi, while the Moroccan side made just one change with Zineb Redouani starting ahead of Houda El Mestour.
Sundowns had a chance to get an early goal when they got a free-kick in the second minute but Boitumelo Rabale’s effort went wide. Two minutes later Chuene Morifi could have scored, however the ball was caught mid-air.
The home team joined the party in the fifth minute when Fatima Tagnaout crossed to Ibtissam Jraidi whose shot went wide. Two minutes later it was Tagnaout again with a dangerous cross that was headed out by the Sundowns defense.
In the 16th minute Sundowns captain Zanele Nhlapo fouled Redouani in the box and Tagnaout was the woman on target from the spot as she converted the penalty to hand ASFAR the lead. It was her third goal of the tournament.
ASFAR could have made it 2-0 in the 23rd minute from a Tagnaout set-piece which was dealt with by Andile Dlamini, following Nhlapo’s foul on Redouani again.
In the 26th minute the Moroccan side had another shot at goal when Tagnaout found Ahmamou Dohua in the box but the ball took a deflection. The South African champions had a good chance to equalise in the 28th minute when Daweti passed to Rabale whose shot was flagged offside.
Things got worse for Jerry Tshabalala’s side after 33 minutes as they found themselves with 10 women when Mulaudzi was sent off for a foul on Redouani. Sundowns went into the halftime break trailing 1-0.
Sundowns made one change at the start of the second half replacing Lerato Kgasago with Tiisetso Makhubela. However it was ASFAR who kept the heat on calling Dlamini to make a super save in the 47th minute when she denied the opposition’s captain the side’s second goal.
Sundowns lost another player this time their captain Nhlapo who got her second yellow for foul on Redouani. Following that ASFAR extended the lead through Jraidi stunner, her fourth goal of the tournament.
Sundowns kept their heads up and Morifi came close to pulling one back in the 61st minute but the effort went straight into the keeper’s hands. Three minutes later Morifi found Melinda Kgadiete but the keeper made a super save to deny her.
Tagnaout and Jraidi again combined in the 87th minute to hand the home side a glorious and overall deserved 3-0 lead.
Jraidi even completed her hat-trick in stoppage time after Andile Dlamini dropped a cross right in front of her to make it a real thrashing by the Moroccan side.
