Kawempe Muslim Ladies are the fourth Ugandan team to play in the CECAFA Zonal qualifiers for the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Lady Doves, She Corporate, and Kampala Queens are the other three Uganda Women clubs to ever grace this stage.
On Friday August 23, Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC booked their palace in the semifinals after crashing Djibouti’s FAD 10-0 , thanks to five goals scored by Hadijah Nandago and Shadia Nabirye’s brace as well as Halima Kampi, Rebecca Nakato, Mary Kabacurezi who netted one each.
Striker Hadija Nandago was in good form scoring five goals to guide Kawempe Muslim Ladies FC to a 10-0 win against FAD in a Group B match at the on-going CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA qualifiers 2024.
The win sent the Uganda Women’s champions to the semi-final stage that start on Monday at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The in-form Nandago helped coach Khalifa Ayub Kiyingi’s team record the highest win in the Zonal qualifiers taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
After defending well for the first 10 minutes, Shadia Nabirye gave Kawempe Muslim Ladies the lead after 11 minutes at the Abebe Bikila Stadium. Eleven minutes later Nandago made it 2-0. Nabirye and Nandago added two more goals as the two teams took a break at the interval with Kawempe Muslim Ladies leading 4-0.
After recess the Djibouti team conceded a penalty off a handball in the box, and Nandago made no mistake sending goalkeeper Soubane Ahmed Omar the wrong side.
Nandago added two more goals, while substitutes Halimah Kampi, Rebecca Nakato and Mary Kabacurezi also got on the score sheet. “I am very happy to score many goals today and to help my team qualify for the semi-final,” said Nandago after the match.
Kiyingi, the Kawempe Muslim Ladies coach praised his players for the hard work that saw them score ten goals. “We now need to prepare well for the knock out stage and my players will be ready,” added Kiyingi.
The FAD coach Yonis Osman Ali said after three matches and only getting one draw, it has been a good learning curve for his players. “We now need to try and get foreign players to also boost our team in future,” added the FAD coach.
In the second Group B match Tanzanian side Simba Queens, the 2022 champions were held to a 2-2 PVP Buyenzi (Burundi). Rukiya Bizimana gave the Burundi champions the lead after 2 minutes, and Jentrix Shikangwa Milimu leveled matters five minutes later. Vivian Aquino Carazone Odhiambo made it 2-1 for Simba Queens after 18 minutes, but a 61st minute own goal by Daniela Ngoyi got PVP Buyenzi level.
Kawempe’s progression to the knockout stages means that only Kampala Queens have failed to go beyond the group stages as Lady Doves set the pace running in 2021 when they finished third after defeating Simba Queens in the third-place playoff final in Kenya.
She Corporate followed suit in 2022 and went a step closer to qualification but fell short courtesy of defeat to Simba in the final in Tanzania.
A year later, Kampala Queens hosted the tournament but didn’t go past the group stages in 2023.
Qualification to the group stages of the CAF Women’s Champions League tournament remains a mystery for Uganda and all hopes lie in Kawempe to try and break the record.
Commercial Bank of Ethiopia will now face Kawempe Muslim Ladies, while Simba Queens battle Kenya Police Bullets WFC at the semi-final stage on Monday.
