Africa-Press – Botswana. Gaborone United ladies’ team, affectionately known as the Red Roses, will face ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast in a crucial Group B clash of the CAF Women’s Champions League at Right to Dream Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on November 15.
The Red Roses are fighting for survival, currently sitting at the bottom of the Group B standings with just one point, following a goalless draw against JKT Queens of Tanzania and a subsequent 3-0 loss to the defending champions, TP Mazembe of Congo.
Despite their table position, Group B remains open and a victory for the Red Roses could still secure their place in the semi-finals. At the summit of the log are ASEC Mimosas with four points, followed by TP Mazembe with three points and JKT Queens in third with two points.
In an interview, Red Roses’ coach, Raizor Monene, remained steadfast that his side could pull through, stating the team had prepared well for the final and crucial group game. Monene conceded they had hoped for a better performance against TP Mazembe, but did not come to the party in the first half. “In all aspects of the game we were poor.
We managed to address it during halftime and came out an improved side in the second half,” he said.
He admitted the penalty awarded to their opponents killed their game plan of mounting a comeback. Monene highlighted that, given the log standings, all four teams could still reach the semi-finals, saying ‘we have to win to make it.’ While acknowledging the match against ASEC Mimosas would not be easy, he confirmed his team’s determination.
Meanwhile, the final Group B match for the Red Roses against table-toppers ASEC Mimosas is an absolute must-win for the local side to have any hope of progressing. The game pits a resilient, yet struggling, defense-first team against the group’s current pace-setters.
On one hand, ASEC Mimosas have shown efficiency and clinical finishing, demonstrated by their 1-0 win against TP Mazembe and a 1-1 draw against JKT Queens. They are disciplined and rarely afford opponents clear-cut chances.
For the Red Roses, their challenge is significant. While their defense was organised in the opening goalless draw, it collapsed against TP Mazembe.
They therefore must revert to their tenacious COSAFA qualifying form to neutralise ASEC’s scoring threats. As debutants, they have shown tactical discipline, but their major weakness is lack of attacking output, with zero goals scored in the tournament. To win, the Red Roses cannot rely on defense alone, they need to find an offensive spark.
They would require a multi-goal victory to boost their current minus three goal difference and potentially surpass TP Mazembe and JKT Queens, assuming the result of the other Group B game leaves the door open.
For ASEC Mimosas, knowing a draw guarantees their passage, would likely play a controlled game while the Red Roses must be defensively perfect and tactically ambitious in attack, a level they are yet to consistently demonstrate in this tournament.
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