Mande held to another draw at WAFU A Women's Clubs Championship
Published:
AS Mandé, champions of the West Africa Football Union (Wafu) Zone A women's club championship, were held to their second draw of the tournament when they played out to a 0-0 draw against US Parcelles Assainies (USPA) of Senegal on Friday.
In search of a victory to enhance their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the tournament in Liberia, the Malians could not bring the spark that made them champions of the regional body last year.
They thought they had finally cracked the stubborn defence of the Senegalese side but Aminata Dia's injury time strike crashed into the bar of USPA goalkeeper Adji Ndiaye.
With the shot-stopper completely beaten, the striker's effort failed to find the net to sum up the desperation of AS Mande who completely dominated the exchanges during the game.
The US Parcelles goalkeeper could have been the Woman-of-the-Match so much, especially in the first-half when she kept her team in the game by becoming a real barrier against AS Mandé.
As expected by coach Moustapha Laico Traoré, the champions gave everything for their second match of the tournament and pinned the Senegalese champions to their half, creating two good scoring chances.
It took great goalkeeping from Ndiaye to ensure that the Senegalese side kept the game even before the break.
In the 62nd minute, striker Nana Diarra also had her chance to score but also fluffed the scoring opportunity for AS Mande.
The Senegalese did not manage to get a chance until the 70th minute when they took advantage of a defensive mix up but their finishing was poor, sealing the fate of the game.
After two games, AS Mandé are the leaders with two points, one head of second-placed Determine Gils of Liberia. USPA also has one point.
Sunday will be the final day with Determine Girls taking on USPA.
