CAFWCLQ: Vihiga Queens' qualification hopes dashed in heartbreaking extra time loss to CBE

Kenya Women’s Premier League champions Vihiga Queens on Sunday evening saw their journey to the third edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League come to a disappointing end following a 2-1 extra time defeat to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) in the CECAFA Region qualifiers semi finals held at the Njeru Technical Grounds in Jinja, Uganda.

The defeat thus means that Queens will have to contest a third place matchup on Wednesday 30 August when they take on Buja Queens - 3-1 losers of the other semifinal against JKT Queens.

The final matchup- also set for Wednesday -for the region’s sole spot in the main competition set for November in Ivory Coast will see the aforementioned JKT Queens battle CBE FC.

Queens will look back at the game and fail to wrap their heads on how the loss came to be, as they led all through, ultimately conceding a 94th minute equalizer that saw both sides play thirty more minutes of extra-time after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time.

Following a goalless first half, Vihiga got into the lead in the 55th minute of the game courtesy of a Bertha Omita strike, before conceding at the ill-opportune time to a Loza Abera goal, one that CBE FC head coach Birhanu Gizaw Heye said was a surprise.

“At that moment, our plan was just to control the game because Vihiga were still dangerous,” he said, terming it as ‘unplanned’.

Ultimately, the Ethiopian side’s second goal from Aregasha Tadese was enough to settle the tie, dimming Vihiga’s chances, even as head coach Charles Okere tried to make sense of the game.

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“We had a good first half, looked balanced and competitive, but ended up losing concentration in big moments,” Okere said. “Also what didn’t work for us was that we didn’t take our chances when in the driving seat.”

Asked on the lessons learnt in the competition, Okere added; “Teams are improving every year and all are playing competitive football. We will definitely be back next year.”

Vihiga’s journey to the semis was a smooth ride, as they finished second in group B with six points after two wins and a defeat.

“I have been in such situations before thanks to my over 29 years experience. It is my plan to make sure that we win the finals,” Heye added, as he turned his attention on Wednesday’s final.