Malawi: Silver Strikers Ladies Open CAF Campaign With Thrilling 2-1 Comeback Win

Malawi: Silver Strikers Ladies Open CAF Campaign With Thrilling 2-1 Comeback Win

Silver Strikers Ladies produced a stunning turnaround to beat Mozambique's Costa Do Sol 2-1 in their opening CAF Women's Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers fixture at the Gaborone United Stadium in Botswana on Friday.

Good start for Silver Ladies

Silver Strikers Ladies yesterday roared to an impressive start in their 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa Qualifier campaign following a 2-1 comeback victory over 10-player Mozambican side Costa Dol Sol at Gaborone United Stadium in Botswana. The Bankers served the best for last as they recovered from a goal down with defender Ireen Khumalo and substitute striker Grace Kakangula scoring in the second-half to give the National Bank of Mala…

Mamelodi Sundowns make emphatic start as Silver Strikers fight back

Mamelodi Sundowns made a statement of intent in their opening Group B match at the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026 as they powered to an 8-0 victory over tournament debutants Nsingizini Hotspurs on Friday. Lelona Daweti and Refilwe Tholakele both grabbed hat-tricks for the two-time regional champions, who were seven goals to the good by halftime following a devastating opening 45 minutes. Daweti opened the scoring after nine minutes before Isabella Ludwig doubled the advantage three minutes later. Sundowns then struck three times in the space of four minutes to effectively put the contest beyond their Eswatini opponents before the midway point of the first half. Tholakele got her first on 17 minutes, Daweti added another a minute later and then completed her hat-trick on 20 minutes as Sundowns raced into a 5-0 lead. There was no respite for Nsingizini as Tholakele added her second on 31 minutes before completing her own treble on the stroke of halftime to make it 7-0. The pace of the scoring slowed considerably after the break, but Sundowns remained firmly in control and added an eighth goal through 17-year-old Sandra Mugwara on 76 minutes. It was an impressive start to the competition for Sundowns as they seek a third regional title after previous triumphs in 2021 and 2023, and equalled their biggest ever win in the competition, when they defeated Olympic de Moroni from Comoros by the same scoreline in 2024. In the earlier fixture, Mozambique’s Costa do Sol took the lead inside 24 seconds against debutants Silver Strikers, but ended up losing 2-1 after the Malawians fought back late on. Lucia Moçambique took advantage of some hesitant defending to poke the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box as the goalkeeper and defenders stood static. That was the way it stayed until the 69th minute, when Strikers struck back. Ireen Khumalo’s excellent free-kick from the right was too powerful for the goalkeeper and went in off the underside of the crossbar. Strikers grabbed the winning goal with five minutes remaining as a long ball was perfectly weighted for Grace Kakangula to run onto, and she beat the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Group A continues on Saturday as the four teams return to action at the Gaborone United Stadium, with updated kick-off times due to the heat. Lesotho Defence Force face last year’s beaten finalists ZESCO Ndola Girls in the early kick-off at 16h00 (14h00 GMT), with the sides having experienced contrasting fortunes in their opening matches. LDF pushed defending champions Gaborone United all the way on Thursday, taking an early lead through Reitumetse Namane before eventually going down 2-1 to a late goal. They will need another disciplined display against a ZESCO side that made an emphatic start with a 5-2 victory over Herentals Queens. Eneless Phiri and Charity Mubanga both scored twice for the Zambians, with Penelope Mulubwa also on target as last year’s runners-up underlined their title credentials. Hosts and defending champions Gaborone United then face Herentals Queens at 19h00 (17h00 GMT), seeking a second successive victory after their dramatic comeback against LDF. Herentals showed attacking threat in their opener, with Natasha Benza and Catherine Gwangwara finding the net, but will need to tighten up defensively against the holders. With the top two teams in the pool advancing to the semi-finals, Saturday’s results could go a long way towards shaping the qualification picture. All games will be streamed live on FIFA+ and COSAFA’s YouTube Channel to a global audience.   FRIDAY’S RESULTS Group B Costa do Sol 1 (Moçambique 1’) Silver Strikers 2 (Khumalo 69’, Kakangula 85’) Mamelodi Sundowns 8 (Lelona Daweti 9', 18', 20', Isabella Ludwig 12’, Refilwe Tholakele 17', 31', 45', Mugwara 76’) Nsingizini Hotspurs 0SATURDAY’S FIXTURES (both Gaborone United Stadium) Group A Lesotho Defence Force vs ZESCO Ndola Girls (KO 16h00; 14h00 GMT) Gaborone United vs Herentals Queens (KO 19h00; 17h00 GMT)  GROUP STANDINGSGROUP A P W D L GF GA GD PTSZESCO Ndola Girls (Zambia) 1 1 0 0 5 2 3 3Gaborone United (Botswana) 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3Lesotho Defence Force (Lesotho) 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe) 1 0 0 1 2 5 3 0 GROUP B P W D L GF GA GD PTSMamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) 1 1 0 0 8 0 8 3Silver Strikers (Malawi) 1 1 0 0 2 1 1 3Costa do Sol (Mozambique) 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini) 1 0 0 1 0 8 8 0  TOURNAMENT STATS Matches Played: 4 Goals scored: 21 Biggest victory: Mamelodi Sundowns 8 Nsingizini Hotspurs 0 (Group B, August 21) Most goals in a game: 8 – Mamelodi Sundowns 8 Nsingizini Hotspurs 0 (Group B, August 21)   GOALSCORERS 3 goals – Lelona Daweti (Mamelodi Sundowns), Refilwe Tholakele (Mamelodi Sundowns) 2 – Charity Mubanga (ZESCO Ndola Girls), Eneless Phiri (ZESCO Ndola Girls) 1 – Natasha Benza (Herentals Queens), Catherine Gwangwara (Herentals Queens), Grace Kakangula (Silver Strikers), Ireen Khumalo (Silver Strikers), Isabella Ludwig (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lucia Moçambique (Costa do Sol), Sandra Mugwara (Mamelodi Sundowns), Penelope Mulubwa (ZESCO Ndola Girls), Tlamelo Pheresi (Lesotho Defence Force), Lesego Radiakanyo (Gaborone United Ladies), Goitsemang Tlamma (Gaborone United Ladies)

Downs Ladies Score 8 In COSAFA CAFWCL Qualifiers Opener

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies opened their 2026 COSAFA CAFWCL Qualifiers with a 8-0 thumping of Eswatini outfit Nsingizini Hotspurs at Gaborone United Stadium on Friday afternoon. With just nine minutes on the clock, Lelona Daweti was on the end of Isabella Ludwig’s low cross to slot home and make 1-0. ALSO READ: Sundowns Ladies Confirm Signing Of Banyana Goalkeeper Downs Ladies Learn 2026 COSAFA WCL Qualifiers Opponents Ludwig turned from provider …

Silver Strikers Ladies Stage Dramatic Comeback to Beat Costa

ShareBy Suleman Chitera Silver Strikers Ladies have made a winning start to the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League/COSAFA qualifiers after fighting back from a goal down to beat Mozambique’s Costa do Sol 2-1 in Gaborone, Botswana, this afternoon. The Malawian champions showed character and determination to overturn the deficit, securing three valuable points in a… The post Silver Strikers Ladies Stage Dramatic Comeback to Beat Costa do Sol in CAF…

Silver Strikers Ladies open CAF campaign with thrilling 2-1 comeback win - Sports News Malawi

Silver Strikers Ladies produced a stunning turnaround to beat Mozambique's Costa Do Sol 2-1 in their opening CAF Women's Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers f... Read the latest breaking news on Nyasa Times.