CAF Women’s Champions League AS FAR vs Huracanes
This is the first meeting between Huracanes and AS FAR.
This is AS FAR’s second clash against opponents from Equatorial Guinea, they met Malabo Kings in the play-off for third in 2021 a game they won 3-1 with Fatima Tagnaout putting them ahead in the 10th minute. Ghizlane Chebbak scored a brace with goals in the 61st minute and another at the end of the game in referees optional time, while Carol Carioca scored a 50th minute equalizer.
Equatorial Guinea becomes the third country along with Ghana and Nigeria that AS FAR would have faced two different clubs at the CAFWCL.
The only other clashes between teams from North and Central Africa saw Malabo Kings win 3-0 against Wadi Degla of Egypt in their second group game in 2021.
AS FAR
AS FAR saw their six game winning streak coming to an end in the CAFWCL with their loss against Ampem Darkoa.
Both of AS FAR’s losses at the finals have been against Ghanaian teams, their six game winning streak started after a loss in the 2021 Semi-finals against Hasaacas Ladies.
Their loss to Ampem Darkoa was the first time that AS FAR had taken a lead in a game and lost at the finals, previously they had won all seven games in which they had gone in front.
Najat Badri scored her second goal at the finals during AS FAR’s loss against Ampem Darkoa, both of her goals have come in losses against Ghanaian opponents she also netted in AS FAR’s loss to Hasaacas Ladies in the 2021 Semi-finals.
AS FAR’s loss to Ampem Darkoa was their second group stage loss at the finals, they had gone four group games without a loss (W3 D1). Between drawing their final group stage game against Mamelodi Sundowns 0-0 in 2021, through all three games in 2022.
AS FAR have scored at least one goal in their last eight games at the finals, the longest scoring run of any team at the finals scoring in successive games.
AS FAR in their second group games previously have lost to Kenyan side Vihiga Queens in 2021 they fell 2-0, while in 2022 they won their second group game 2-1 against Green Buffaloes.
Should AS FAR fail to win it will be only the second time at the finals that they would fail to win successive games, the other time that happened was in 2021 when they lost to Vihiga Queens of Kenya in their second group game and then drew with Sundowns 0-0 in their final group games. They then lost to Hasaacas Ladies in the Semi-final.
AS FAR have never previously lost successive games at the final.
AS FAR are the first defending champions to lose a group game at the finals, in 2022 Mamelodi Sundowns won all of their group games.
In their opening game loss to Ampem Darkoa, Nouhaila Benzina became the first AS FAR player to score an own goal at the Finals, when she turned the ball into her own goal for what proved to be the game winner.
In their loss to Ampem Darkoa, AS FAR had 67.6% of the possession in a game that also saw them have six shots on target.
Of their six shots on target in their first game Ghizlaine Chebbak took two of them in total she had five shots on target and created four chances. She also completed 52 passes and completed a further 16 passes into the final third, while she had 52 touches a game high for any player on either team.
In their loss to Ampem Darkoa, AS FAR attempted 456 passes while their opponents only attempted 206. AS FAR had a passing Accuracy in the game of 75.9%.
AS FAR goal scorer in their opening game loss to Ampem Darkoa Najat Badri featured in her eleventh game playing in her third finals for AS FAR.
For AS FAR Ghizlane Chhiri, Fatima Dhamos, Fatima Tagnaout and Khadija Er-Rmichi have now featured in everyone of their sides eleven games at the finals. Er Rmichi has started and finished all eleven of their games at the finals.
The last time AS FAR faced opponents from Equatorial Guinea at the finals during their 3-1 win over Malabo Kings in the play-off for third in 2021 current squad members Fatima Tagnaout and Ghizlane Chebbak were on target with Chebbak netting a brace.
Huracanes
Began with a 1-1 draw in their opening game against AS Mande of Mali, they had taken the lead through Elena Obono in the 68th minute from the penalty spot before the Malians managed to come back and equalize through Fatoumata Diarra.
Huracane’s Nuria Baita Masa featured for another Equatorial Guinean club Malabo Kings in the 2021 edition of the CAFWCL when they faced AS FAR in the play-off for third. They lost the game 3-1. She came up against current AS FAR players Khadija Er-Rmichi, Ghizlane Chhiri, Nouhaila Benzina, Fatima Dahmos, Najat Badri, Fatima Tagnaout and Ghizlane Chebbak and Douha Ahmamou.
Masa is the first player to represent two different clubs from Equatorial Guinea at the finals.
Huracanes in their opening game draw against AS Mande scored with just one of two shots on target that they had. Bot of these shots were taken by Elen Oyana who also had a total of four shots at goal overall.
In Huracane’s opening game against AS Mande Julia Raquel Bolop Etopa won 7 tackles more than any other player in the game.
Like their compatriots Malabo Kings in 2021, Huracanes failed to win their opening game.
Malabo Kings in 2021 began with a loss to Ghanaian side Hasaacas ladies but then bounced back in their second game to record a 3-0 win over Wadi Degla. Which remains the biggest win by a team from central Africa at the finals.