Kukoma Ntopwa Women are down and out of contention in the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa qualifiers following a 3-0 defeat to Beauties FC of Namibia yesterday in their second Group A match at AW Muller Stadium in Johannesburg,South Africa.
It was the second successive loss by the same margin for the Malawi flag carriers after going down to two-time African champions and hosts Mamelodi Sundowns in the opener on Friday.
tussles with a Beauties player during the
match. | Courtesy of Cosafa
Yesterday’s defeat means Ntopwa are at the bottom of their four-team group without a point from two games and cannot make the last four even if they win their last match tomorrow against Zambia’s Zesco Ndola Girls FC.
Beauties have pushed their way up to third with three points while Sundowns and Zesco, who were tied on three points and three goals after their impressive 3-0 victories in their openers, were fighting for the group leadership position at press time.
Ntopwa only had one shot on target throughout the game.
Ntopwa made four changes to their line-up that started against Sundowns, introducing midfielders Ruth Nyirongo and Jessie Yosefe alongside defenders Joyce Makweya and Lydia Mchochoma in place of midfielders Emily Gama and Chimwemwe Bonongwe and strikers Kondwawo Banda and Funny Magombo.
The FAM-Goshen National Women’s Championship winners dominated the first half with 52 percent of ball possession, but were weak on shot accuracy, which was at 25 percent against their opponents’ 50.
The two teams were tied at four goal attempts, a single corner-kick and one yellow card.
In the second half of the match monitored on Cosafa TV, Ntopwa started slowly and were punished after two minutes when Beauties broke the deadlock with a free-kick which brace heroine Millicent Hikuam converted from a few metres from the box.
This was a result of some questionable goalkeeping from Mercy Sikelo, who failed to keep the ball away as it dipped into the top corner.
Hikuam doubled Beauties’ advantage with a simple finish from close range 11 minutes later to put the game out of reach for Ntopwa.
Twelikondjele Amukoto made it 3-0 for Beauties with a glancing header in the penalty area that eluded goalminder Sikelo.
Ntopwa coach Isaac Jomo Osman bemoned missed chances.
“We controlled the game in the first half, but we really struggled in front of goal. We planned to attack in the first hal, but we failed to utilize our chances. It’s a bad day for us,” he said in a post-match interview monitored on Cosafa Television.
However, Osman said they will fight for a win in their remaining group match against Zesco Ndola Girls FC tomorrow as they do not want to return home empty-handed.
