Nigerian champions Edo Queens will on Saturday (today) face defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in their last Group B match of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League starting at 18:00 at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco, looking to secure at least a draw to enable progress to the semifinals.
The West African champions top the pile with four points, the same as Egypt’s FC Maras in second place, while Sundowns are third with three points, making it imperative for them to secure a win, which will not be an easy take against the history-chasing Moses Aduku’s charges.
It will be a keenly contested affair, with the long-standing rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa playing out once more.
Here are interesting facts about the match that is being widely tagged final before the final.
- This will be the first meeting between the teams.
- This game is Mamelodi Sundowns’ third match against Nigerian opponents at the finals.
- Sundowns’ record against teams from Nigeria at the finals reads P2 W2.
- Sundowns first faced Nigerian opponents Rivers Angels in their second group game in 2021; they won 1-0; they then defeated Bayelsa Queens 2-1 in their opening game in 2022.
- Sundowns overall are facing West African opposition at the finals for a fifth time; they have won all four previous meetings against teams from the WAFU region.
- In games between teams from the WAFU and COSAFA regions at the finals, teams from COSAFA have won all six previous clashes.
- EDO Queens are the 15th different club that Sundowns will be facing at the finals.
- Edo Queens will progress to the semi-finals should they draw, becoming the second Nigerian club along with Bayelsa Queens in 2022 to reach the knockout rounds.
- Should they avoid defeat, Edo Queens will be the first Nigerian club to progress without losing a single game at the finals.
- Edo Queens are yet to concede a goal in the current edition of the finals. They are the first Nigerian club to not concede a goal in their opening two games at the finals. No Nigerian club has gone through an entire group stage without conceding a goal.
- Edo Queens are the first Nigerian club at the finals to avoid defeat inside their first two games.
- Edo Queens goalkeeper Omini Oyono has faced the fewest shots in the tournament and has also had to make just one save.
- Edo Queens’ Esther Moses has created six chances at the finals so far, the second most by any player thus far.
- Should Sundowns not progress, they would exit at the group stage for the first time.
- Should Sundowns exit at this stage, they would be the first defending champion to exit at the group stage; in 2022, they reached the final, and in 2023, AS FAR got to the semi-finals.
- Sundowns have never lost their final group game at the finals. The only time they failed to win was in a 0-0 draw against AS FAR in 2021. They had already qualified for the finals. In 2022, they won their final group game 4-0 against TP Mazembe; in 2023, their last group game yielded a 3-0 win over Athletico Abidjan.
- With their win over CBE, Sundowns record in 11 group games at the finals reads W9 D1 L1.
- Sundowns will be the first team to win 10 group games at the finals should they win this game.
The group’s second match between Masar and CBE will hold simultaneously at Ben M’Hamed El Abdi Stadium, El Jadida, with the former looking to wrap up qualification with a win over the latter, who have nothing save for pride to play for, being rock bottom without a win and with their campaign long over.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]