Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have booked their spot in the CAF Women’s Champions League for a second time running.
Downs beat Simba Queens 1-0 in a tightly contested affair. Jerry Tshabalala’s side came into the game with three wins from three group stage games, while Simba had lost their first match against FAR Rabat before picking up two wins – including a 2-0 over COSAFA champions Green Buffalos.
Boitumelo Rabale scored her third goal of the tournament via a stunner from range late in the second half to send the defending champions into Sunday’s final.
The first half was action packed but the traffic was coming from Simba Queens. The Tanzania champions had chances as early as the fourth minute winning a corner which Andile Dlamini saved with ease.
In the eighth minute Simba Queens could have gotten the lead from another corner when Dlamini was out of position but Amanda Mthand, who was the only change from the win over Wadi Degla in, made a crucial clearance.
There were long range efforts from S’arrive Lobo in the 10th minute by captain Opa Clement Tukumbuke and Fatuma Issa Suleimani but they were only close calls.
The combination of Chuene Morifi and Lelona Daweti was kept quiet by the Simba defense. Sundowns only had three attempts at goal in the half and one on target. In the 25th minute the defending champions had their clearest chance when Melinda Kgadiete found Daweti in the box but the striker couldn’t get to the ball.
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The teams went into the break deadlocked. The sides made no immediate changes in the second half and Simba picked up where they left off in the first stanza. Andile Dlamini was called to make a super save in the 53rd minute when Asha Djafari had a shot at goal.
Tukumbuke tried again from range in the 58th minute but it went over the bar. In the 61st minute Morifi has a chance but keeper was quicker to the ball and four minutes later Morifi had a similar opportunity but the ball got deflected.
In the 74th minute Morifi ran the left line and crossed to Mthanda to finish a golden opportunity but it was missed. Jerry Tshabalala’s charges did not give up as they found the opener and winner in the 75th minute from a Rabale signature range goal from Kgadiete assist.
There was a moment of silence before the game to remember the 19 Tanzanian victims who lost their lives in a Precision Air plane crash that happened on 6 November.
