* Ascent have 3 points while Gaborone United have 2 points and need to win to earn 5 points
* Win or lose, UD de Lichinga of Mozambique have qualified for the semifinals as they have 4 points
By Duncan Mlanjira
Ascent Soccer, hosts of the CAF Women’s Champions League-COSAFA 2024 qualifier, need to beat Botswana’s Gaborone United in their last Group B match tomorrow if they are to proceed to the semifinals.
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The group is being led by UD de Lichinga of Mozambique, who stunned the Ascent Soccer 1-0 yesterday at Mpira Stadium to dislodge the hosts from the top after their opening 2-1 win over Young Buffaloes of eSwatini on Friday.
Gaborone United drew 0-0 with UD de Lichinga and going into the encounter yesterday, Ascent Soccer were at the top and a win could have secured them a place in the semifinal.
UD de Lichinga lead the group with 4 points followed by Ascent with 3 points on second place, Gaborone United on third with 2 points after their 1-1 draw with Young Buffaloes in the other match yesterday — leaving the eSwatinis with a single point.
Top two teams from the group will qualify for the semifinals alongside the best two from Group A being led by Zimbabwe’s Herentals Queens who have six points following the first win over Namibia’s FC Ongos on Thursday and 1-0 triumph over Zambia’s Green Buffaloes on Saturday.
The race for the semifinals in Group A is also open as Green Buffaloes tie UWC with on 3 points but separated by head-to-head while Herentals Queens just need a draw against UWC in this afternoon’s match to guarantee a semifinal place.
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In yesterday’s match, the hosts were in good control of the match but couldn’t break a very tight defence of Lichinga as the match ended 0-0 at half time.
While the packed Mpira Stadium fans were anticipating a goal any time as they sang and danced in total support for the home team in the second half, Lichinga’s forward Celia Miguel stunned the hosts in the 74th minute after catching the Malawians off guard in a counterattack.
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The fans never gave up as they continued with their vociferous support but Lichinga kept their defence tight to earn their vital point, in which win or lose they have qualified for the semifinals since if Ascent win against Gaborone, they will garner 6 points.
Gaborone United need to beat Ascent Soccer as the Tswanas will earn 5 points and knock out the hosts at five points.
The overall winner of the 10-day tournament will qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League’s continental finals — joining Pretoria giants, Mamelodi Sundowns, who already secured their slot at the continental finals by virtue of being the regional champions.
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