Ascent Academy began their CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier campaign with victory as they defeated Young Buffaloes 2-1 in a Group B encounter on the second day of the regional championship in Blantyre on Friday.
The win takes them top of the pool after Botswana side Gaborone United and UD de Lichinga from Mozambique played to a goalless draw in the other match in the pool. Both of those teams are on debut.
Ascent Academy got the perfect start when Faith Chinzimu scored in the opening minute of their debut but were pegged back by a goal from Sandiswa Ngcamphalala for Buffaloes, who made it 1-1.
That was the way it stayed until injury-time in the first half when Alephar Chimbeta scored a second for Ascent Academy, much to the delight of the partisan crowd at the Mpira Stadium.
The win will be a boost in confidence for the Malawians, who have a young team at the tournament but are dreaming of a ticket to the continental finals.
The action continues on Saturday with the second round of matches in Group A.
The 2022 champions Green Buffaloes will play Herentals Queens at 12h00 CAT, a vital game for both sides with the winners all but assured of a semifinal place.
Both teams won their opener on Thursday and a further three points will see them in charge of the group.
The two sides with work to do are South Africa’s University of the Western Cape and FC Ongos from Namibia as they meet in the second game of the day at 15h00 CAT.
Another defeat and they will be thinking of going home, but a win will put them right back in contention.
The overall winner of the 10-day tournament will book a place at the CAF Women’s Champions League’s continental finals, joining Mamelodi Sundowns who did not participate in the qualifiers as they had already secured their finals’ slot by virtue of being African champions.
Entrance for fans to all matches in Blantyre will be FREE of charge. You can view all of the fixtures here.
If you cannot get to the stadium, you can watch all matches streamed LIVE on FIFA+.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Group B
Gaborone United 0 UD de Lichinga 0
Ascent Academy 2 (Chinzimu 1′, Chimbeta 45′) Young Buffaloes 1 (Ngcamphalala 12’)
SATURDAY’S FIXTURES
Group A
Green Buffaloes vs Herentals Queens (KO 12h00; 10h00 GMT)
UWC vs FC Ongos (KO 15h00; 13h00 GMT)
