CAF Women’s Champions League: Sundowns vs CBE Match Facts
Sundowns and CBE both lost their opening games and will be looking to bounce back as they face each other, in their second game in Group B.
This is the first meeting between the teams.
Sundowns will be facing a team from East Africa at the finals for a fourth time, they have previously faced Kenyan side Vihiga Queens in 2021 and Tanzanian duo Simba Queens and JKT Queens in 2022 and 2023.
Sundowns’ first game at the finals in 2021 saw them face Kenyan side, Vihiga Queens in their opening group game where they won 1-0. Thereafter they defeated Simba Queens 1-0 in the 2022 Semi-finals and in 2023, they defeated JKT Queens 2-0 in the group stages.
Sundowns will now have faced East African opponents in all four of their appearances at the finals.
Overall this is the fifth meeting between teams from the COSAFA and CECAFA regions, with teams from the South having won three of the previous four clashes.
In addition to Sundowns’ three games against East African opponents, the only other meeting between teams from COSAFA and CECAFA saw Simba Queens defeat Zambia’s Green Buffaloes 2-0 in the 2022 group stages.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC
· Sundowns lost their opening game against FC Masar of Egypt, going down 1-0.
· Sundowns’ loss to Masar saw their 9-game run undefeated run in the group games at the finals come to an end (W8 D1).
· Sundowns loss to Masar saw their run of winning 6 successive group games come to an end, it was only the second group game they had failed to win along with their final group game in 2021l, which was a 0-0 draw against AS FAR.
· Sundowns’ loss to Masar was just their second loss at the finals along with the 2022 final.
· Sundowns loss to Masar was just the fourth time in 16 games at the finals that they had failed to score in, along with 0-0 stalemates in 2021 against AS FAR and Malabo Kings, where they won the latter game on penalties as well as their 4-0 loss to AS FAR in the 2022 finals.
· Sundowns’ loss to Masar meant that in the last two editions of the finals the reigning champions have lost their opening game, as 2022 reigning champions AS FAR lost their opening game in 2023.
· Should Sundowns fail to win they will have failed to win successive games at the finals for the second time, they only once previously did not win successive games in open play, which was in 2021 where they drew their final group game against AS FAR and then defeated Malabo Kings on penalties in the Semi-finals.
· Ethiopia is the third East African Country along with Kenya and Tanzania against whose clubs Sundowns will face.
· Ethiopia will become the tenth country against whose clubs Sundowns would have faced at the finals along with Cote d’ Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Tanzania
· Excluding the 2021 finals when all teams were making their tournament debut, across the 2022, 2023 and 2024 tournaments Sundowns have faced seven debutants. Their record in eight such games reads W7 D0 L1. They faced SC Casablanca twice in 2023.
· Sundowns’ loss to Masar, including the 2021 finals is their first to a tournament debutant.
· Sundowns managed two shots on target in their game against Masar, the fewest in 13 games in the tournament. The last time they had fewer attempts on target was when having zero shots on target in a 0-0 draw in their final group game against AS FAR in 2021.
· In their opening game loss to Masar, Sundowns completed 357 passes while their opponents only managed 127.
· In their opening game against Masar, Lelona Daweti created six chances for Sundowns. The most after match day one by a player in a single game at the current finals.
· Sundowns have scored seven goals combined in their three previous second group games at the finals without conceding a goal.
· Melinda Kgadiete featured in her 14th game at the finals for Sundowns in their opening game against Masar. She has now played at all four editions of the finals.
Central Bank of Ethiopia
· CBE were defeated 3-0 in their opening game against Nigerian side Edo Queens.
· CBE’s 3-0 loss to Edo Queens in their opening game was the biggest loss for a team from the CECAFA region in their first game at the finals.
· All three of the CECAFA regions previous qualifiers have won their second group game after beginning with a loss.
· In 2021, Kenyan side Vihiga Queens lost their opening game to Sundowns but bounced back and defeated AS FAR 2-0 in their second game. They lost their third game against Rivers Angels of Nigeria.
· In 2022, Simba Queens lost their first game against AS FAR 1-0, but won their next two against Determine Girls and Green Buffaloes to reach the last four.
· In 2023, JKT Queens lost their opening game against Sundowns but won their second game against hosts Athletico Abidjan.
· One other debutant has failed to win their opening game and progressed beyond the group stages, this was SC Casablanca who drew their first game in 2023 against Athletico Abidjan and were eventual runners up.
· In their opening game loss to Edo Queens, Tariuka Balcha goalkeeper of CBE faced six shots making three saves, the second most number of saves made by a goalkeeper on match day one.
· In their opening game, CBE’s Tarikuwa Yukura had 63 touches which was the most of any of her teammates.
· In their opening game CBE’s Emebet Adisu completed 42 passes, the most of any of her teammates.