Ascent booted out
Ascent Soccer Academy on Tuesday failed to live up to their promise of qualifying for the CAF Women’s Football Champions League Cosafa Qualifiers’ semi-finals after going down 2-3 to Botswana’s Gaborone United in a Group B decider.
The defeat at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre left hundreds of home fans, who filled the stadium, dejected.
The result has forced the Thom Mkolongo-coached side to finish bottom of their four-team group with three points from three games.
Gaborone have made the last-four as group winners with five points. They are followed by Young Buffaloes of E-swatini, who have finished as the group’s runners-up after beating UD de Lichinga of Mozambique 4-0 in the other decider on Tuesday. The two sides tied at four points, but Buffaloes claimed the second place on better goal-difference.
Gaborone will face Group A runners-up Herentals Queens of Zimbabwe in the first semi-final tomorrow at noon while Young Buffaloes will be up against Group A winners South Africa’s University of Western Cape (UWC) from 3pm.
Winners of the semi-finals winners will meet in the final on Saturday with the eventual winner set to represent the Cosafa bloc at the CAF Womens Champions League finals in Morocco between October and November alongside defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Women of South Africa.
In Tuesday’s match, Faith Chimzimu put Ascent in the lead four minutes into the match when she connected home a well-taken corner-kick with a volley.
Keitumetse Dithebe restored parity for Gaborone in the 17th minute, scoring direct from a corner-kick after Ascent defence failed to clear the ball.
Striker Alephar Chimbeta put Ascent back in the lead 13 minutes later as she collided with advancing Gaborone goalkeeper Tlamelo Pheresi, before slotting it into the empty net to send the home fans into ecstacy.
The collision resulted in a serious injury for Pheresi, who was rushed to a hospital for treatment. Substitute goal-minder Kefilwe Tafa took her place as the first half ended 1-2 in Ascent’s favour.
However, 16 minutes into the second half, Gaborone equalised, again through Maungo Maponga, who was left unmarked as she ran into the box.
Laone Moloi put Gaborone ahead in the 76th minute, deflating the hopes of Malawi soccer lovers, who now have to watch foreign teams in the knockout stages.
Mkolongo attributed the defeat to a depleted squad, saying it was not easy to make effective substitutions with 16 players.
“We played well in the first half, but fatigue took a toll on the players in the final stanza. All the same, we have learnt a lot from this competition,” he said.
Last year Malawi’s representatives Kukoma Ntopwa also failed to make it past the group stages.
