Mamelodi Sundowns women’s team want to win the Caf Women’s Champions League and return to the top of African football after their shortcomings last season.
Sundowns etched their names in the history books of African football three seasons ago, becoming the first team to win the women’s Champions League.
That result stamped Sundowns’ authority in Africa – so much so that their reign was expected to continue into the last season, given their domestic and regional dominance.
But it wasn’t to be. Sundowns were humiliated by Moroccan giants AS FAR 4-0 in the final as they relinquished their crown in the second instalment of the competition in Rabat, Morocco.
But boy, coach Jerry Tshabalala’s team have proved that they are made of sterner stuff – they are in their third Champions League final in a row in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.
Banyana ba Style’s journey couldn’t have been sweeter as well, given that they beat AS FAR 1-0 in the semi-final to set a date with Sporting Club Casablanca on Sunday (10pm SA time kick-off).
And having tasted both the sweetness and sourness that comes with winning and losing the continental crown, Sundowns’ captain says they want to taste the former this evening.
“I think this year is a different ball-game. It’s a different mindset. Yes, last year I got a red card, and I forgot about it,” Zanele Nhlapho explained.
“We are in a different country, so I believe that we are here for a victory. You can see from the first game that we played, we showed character as a team.
“We want to win the Champions League, that’s one of the most important things for us. The coach told us we need to win it back-to-back while we still can.”
A win for the Brazilians wouldn’t only see them become the first women’s team in Africa to win the Champions League twice, but the club would make more history.
Last Sunday, Masandawana’s men team won the inaugural Africa Football League title, beating another Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca over the two-legged final.
But Tshabalala is not putting pressure on his ladies, saying lightning will hit the same place twice, and the Brazilians will beat another Moroccan team for an African crown.
“We are hoping what the boys did back at home doesn’t put the girls under pressure. We are here for our own mission – they were there for theirs,” Tshabalala said.
“Their mission was accomplished, so it’s up to us as the ladies team to accomplish ours, which is to win the Caf Champions League again (after 2021).
“But we don’t want to put ourselves under pressure. We’ll just play our normal game and respect our opponents – and do our best on the field of play.”
Tshabalala’s sentiments were also echoed by Nhlapho, who believes they can’t read too much into their 1-0 win over Casablanca in the group stage.
“We don’t have to worry more about the opponents, but we must worry about ourselves. We left South Africa knowing that we want to win the trophy,” she said.
“I believe that we have players that are capable of that and willing to fight for the trophy. I believe that we came here to win the trophy, nothing much.”
IOL Sport