CAF WCL: Rivers Angels Fall To Mamelodi Sundowns
Rivers Angels of Nigeria were beaten 1-0 by South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in their CAF Women’s Champions League (CAF WCL) Group B encounter at the El Salam Stadium in Cairo, Egypt.
The match day 2 encounter saw a controversial goal separate the two sides. Mamelodi Sundowns captain, Zanele Nhlapho, saw her shot hit the right post and bounce into the hands of Rivers Angel’s goalkeeper Charlotte Adjei in the 17th minute.
However, the referee awarded the goal without consulting VAR or using goal-line technology.
The goal sparked the Angels into life as they looked for an equaliser, but poor finishing let them down in the first half of the encounter.
Rivers Angels thought they had equalised in the 52nd minute of the match after Vivian Ikechukwu sent the ball into the net when Sundowns goalkeeper Asa Rabalao fumbled a cross into the box. However, the goal was ruled out for handball as replays showed the ball had gone in after hitting Ikechukwu’s hand.
The 17th minute goal from Sundowns captain Nhlapho was enough to give the South African side three (3) valuable points against the Nigerians.
“It was a very tough game for us, we tried to play our football, but it was very difficult. I’m not completely happy with the performance, as we couldn’t score more,” coach of Mamelodi Sundowns Jerry Tshabalala, who side face ASFAR FC next in the competition, said.
“I’ve seen ASFAR more than once, it will be an open game as they like to play in a way similar to us. They will be very dangerous. Anything can happen in football, so we have to be cautious. We are not the team that plays defensively, we will not set back, we will attack. We have to keep possession as much as we can.”
Mamelodi Sundowns are on six points on top of Group B, three more than Kenya’s Vihiga Queens and Morocco’s ASFAR. Nigeria’s Rivers Angels trail the group pointless.
The Nigerians were desperately in search of three points after losing 3-0 to Moroccan club ASFAR FC in match day 1 of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
But with zero (0) points from two games, qualification from the group now seems unlikely for Rivers Angels.
“It was a good game, but not from our side,” Rivers Angels coach Edwin Okon said. “We created many chances but did not score. But the goal we conceded is what makes me unhappy.”
“This defeat breaks my heart as a coach.”
Rivers Angels will play its final Group B match against Vihiga Queens on Friday.
Chidi Nwoke/CAF.
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