Doves scare Simba Queens off CECAFA podium

Uganda's Lady Doves edged out Tanzania's Simba Queens to claim the third spot in the CAF Women Champions League CECAFA zonal qualifiers at Kasarani Stadium on Thursday 9th September 2021.

A goal a-piece from Spencer Nakacwa and Fazila Ikwaput were all Lady Doves needed to edge out their opponent, with Asha Djafari scoring the consolation for Simba.

Lady Doves opened the scoring 21 minutes into the game after a defensive mishap by Simba's defenders who failed to clear the ball when they had time to do so.

Spencer Nakacwa was fed with a neat pass picked from a lose ball from Simba's defense and made no mistake, hitting a perfect strike to the top right corner and leaving the goalkeeper no chance.

Playing with a makeshift defense, and the absence of their captain, wobbled Simba and they seemed second in every department.

Whether it was missing key players in the starting line up, or the resentment on missing the final, Simba were not a joy to watch as they have been in the other matches. Rarely did they have the tikitaka flair they have exhibited in the tournament, and when they stringed passes, they were very cautious.

On the other hand, the Ugandan side showed conviction.

Daisy Nakaziro specifically showed why he deserves the golden glove and the 'best goalkeeper' title for the tournament as she continued her stellar performance between the sticks for Lady Doves.

Clearly, the match was not as interesting as the group stage encounter between the two teams. Flavine Mawete was not as goal hungry as she has been in the other four matches, and failed to draw Simba level a couple of times.

Lady Doves pushed to double the lead to no avail but went into the break with a 1-0 lead. On resumption, Simba showed some improvement and looked like they were on course to go for an equalizer.

Mawete showed some brilliance that lacked in the first half and caused trouble down on the left, winning a couple of freekicks but the execution was wanting. Fred Musiime was the first to effect changes, bringing in Noral Alupo and resting Nagadya Jowelia.

The change injected some much needed speed in Lady Doves attacking end as they sought to cement their lead. Their efforts finally paid off when Fazila Ikwaput scored the second with less than 10 minutes to go.

Simba managed a consolation through Asha Djafari though time was not on their end and had to settle for the fourth place.