Vihiga United are on the verge of a historic appearance in the inaugural CAF Women Champions League. The Kenyan club is playing Ethiopia’s Central Bank in CECAFA Zonal qualifiers final today at Kasarani in the presence of FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer Sarai Barema.The two teams met in their opening match in the tournament and will lock horns again, coincidentally in the last match of the tournament at Kasarani.While CBE will be on a mission to replicate or better their results in the first encounter and grab the ticket for the continental showpiece, Vihiga United will be on a mission to lock out the Ethiopians and avoid a second loss to the same opponent on home soil in a span of just 12 days.Early morning drills and final touches..#GodNiMsoo#CECAFA2021 pic.twitter.com/O0sKH1eFr2— Vihiga Queens FC (@Vihigaqueens) September 8, 2021 In the semifinals, both teams edged out teams from the other pool to book a slot in the final, with Vihiga staging a tactical masterclass against Simba Queens to beat them 2-1 as CBE resolved their duel from the spot with Uganda’s Lady Doves after playing to a 1-all draw.Vihiga Queens assistant coach Boniface Nyamunyamu understands the task in front of them as well as the caliber of the opponent and is upbeat that they will not let the visitors embarrass them at home.”We know how tough the Ethiopians are, but based on how we played the other matches, we are sure that they will not be that big of a challenge as they were last time. We have trained on how to quickly close in on any lapses we are likely to experience with them and we don’t intend to let them intimidate us on our home soil.””We intentionally put Engesha, Shikangwa and Wanyonyi to freely play all over the pitch in all our previous matches, but now they will need to tighten their recovery and attacking power in the final because those are the areas we ignored and ended up losing. Otherwise, the team remains intact and since we don’t have any injuries, we are hoping for nothing less of an entertaining match and a win,” Nyamunyamu said ahead of the game.MATCHDAY⚽ @Vihigaqueens V Nigid Bank🏆 CECAFA Women CL Qualifiers 🏟 Kasarni Stadium, Nairobi 🗓 Today⏰ 4pm EAT📺 https://t.co/Wz34IcHpTg📸 @chichionchiri#️⃣ #CECAFAWCQ Final pic.twitter.com/gPFLKFKyYi— Firew Asrat (@firew_asrat) September 9, 2021 Though they have been faced with a number of injuries coming into this game, CBE’s coach Heye Gizaw is adamant that his girls have what it takes to deliver a stellar performance and emerge winners at the end of the day.”We were a bit worried that our injuries might slow us down but we have come up with tactics and changed our strategy to effectively work around one of the best teams in the tournament. Our hope is that the players’ mindset and focus remains the same regardless of the pain challenge and we can nurse our wounds after we qualify for the women’s champions’ league,” Gizaw said.In four games running to the final, CBE have scored 25 goals in regular time, netting 10 times twice with free-scoring Loza Geinore managing 13 goals to emerge the frontrunner, and the favorite for that matter, in the golden boot race.🚨Anaitwa Abera Loza Geinore Ana Umri Wa Miaka 23 Tu.Raia Wa Ethiopia 🇪🇹.Alianza Kusakata Kabumbu 2012 Tu Hapo.⚠Hadi Sasa Mashindano Ya Cecefa2021.🏟Mechi; 4⚽Goli; 13🎯Assists; 6Ndio Top Scorer Hadi Hivi Sasa. pic.twitter.com/YQ90rQqxNO— Matukio Muhimu (@MatukioM) September 6, 2021 Before the final, Lady Doves and Simba Queens will square it out for the third place, with the two teams having played to a barren draw in the group stages, the only difference being that there must be a winner this time around.
