Rivers Angels Battle Hasaacas Ladies For WAFU CAF Women’s CL WAFU B Final

Rivers Angels Battle Hasaacas Ladies For WAFU CAF Women’s CL WAFU B Final

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By Our Correspondent

Nigeria’s Rivers Angels will today battle Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana in the final of the WAFU B CAF women’s Champions League qualifying final in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Bestchoicesports.com.ng can report

The Nigeria Women Football League, NFWL champions secured their slot at the maiden CAF Women’s Champions League later this year after reaching the final of the WAFU B qualifiers on Monday night with a 5-1 bashing of Togolese side, Amis Du Monde.

The Angels reach the milage after winning their semi-final match at the six-team WAFU B qualifiers at the Stade Robert Champroux in the Ivorian capital Abidjan.

Rivers Angles booked their place in the final after hammering Togolese side Amis Du Monde 5-1 on Monday while Hasaacas defeated USFA of Burkina Faso 2-0 to reach the final

A brace by Maryann Ezenagu helped to steer the Nigerian champions to the emphatic victory and secured them a place at the maiden tournament to be played in Egypt later this year.

The Togolese provided some stiff early resistance before a blunder by goalkeeper Ame Lila Amouklou in the 17th minute gifted Deborah Abiodun the opening goal after failing to feebly hold the midfielder’s connecting header from a free-kick.

Ezenagu doubled the Angels’ lead four minutes later with another header after the talented player powerfully met a corner kick for her first goal of the night.

The Togolese side threw more women forward in search of the goal to revive their hopes in the match but strikers Akou Azinogo and Kossiwa Atoyi were incapable of troubling the defence of the Nigerians.

Angels returned from the break determined to continue their dominance and sparked a foray of attacks into the Togolese half.

This paid off in the 65th minute with a strike by Iyabo Koku to make it 3-0 before substitute Cynthia Aku put the Angels in cruise control of the game in the 75th minute.

Against the run of play, Amis du Monde pulled a goal back through a penalty kick which was expertly converted by captain Nathalie Badate after striker Azinogo was fouled in the box.

There was enough time for Ezenagu to score her second goal of the game after outwitting two defenders with pace before unleashing a piledriver beyond goalkeeper Amouklou.

Ezenagu was deservedly named Player of the Match for her outstanding display to spark wild jubilation among the Nigerian side.

Earlier in the day, Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana reached the final of the tournament when defeating USFA of Burkina Faso 2-0 at the same venue.

The Sekondi-based club secured their place in Thursday’s final as well as a place in the maiden tournament in Egypt after completely dominating the semi-final match.

Goals in either half by Veronica Appiah and playmaker Doris Boaduwaa sealed the victory for Hasaacas who were completely dominant from the start of the game.

The Ghanaians could have won the match by a wider margin but they fluffed several scoring chances in the opening 30 minutes with the Burkinabes providing little threat in attack.

Goalkeeper Pascaline Da needed to be in top form to prevent long range efforts from Appiah and Boaduwaa after talented midfielder Evelyn Badu exposed USFA defenders with her dexterity by the 20th minute.

The USFA shot-stopper was beaten a few moments later when Badu combined well with Faustina Aidoo but the latter’s final kick was cleared off the line by defender Rafiatou Ouedraogo.

Hasaacas midfielder smashed her looping free-kick Perpetual Agyeman against the upright in the 35h minute before a similar effort by Boaduwaa came off the crossbar.

The Ghanaians could not be stopped just before the break when Badu split the Burkinabe defence with an exciting pass to Aidoo who beat her two markers before crossing for Appiah powered in a header to break the deadlock.

Hasaacas returned from the break determined to extend their lead and they were rewarded for their persistence in the when the Ghanaian midfielders combined in the 58th minute for Boaduwaa to squeeze the ball beyond goalkeeper Da.

The Burkinabes threw more women forward in their desperate search for a goal to bring them back into the game but the Hasaacas central defence marshalled by captain Janet Agyir were resolute.

Badu was named Woman of the Match thanks to her exciting performance during the game.

With Wafu B being the only regional body presenting two teams for the CAF Women’s Champions League, the two finalists in the tournament have qualified for Egypt.

Rivers Angels will face Hasaacas Ladies in Thursday’s final while USFA will play Amis du Monde in the third-place playoff at the same venue on the same day.

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