This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-CAF
AS FAR is the second team, after Mamelodi Sundowns (with 3 titles), to have played in several finals. After that of 2022, this new final will mark their second appearance at this stage.
TP Mazembe make their first appearance in the final to become the fifth different team to reach this stage, joining the likes of Hasacaas Ladies, Mamelodi Sundowns, AS FAR and SC Casablanca, who have all previously played in the final.
This is their second confrontation, having already faced each other in the group stage of the current edition. During their meeting on November 12, AS FAR won 3-1 in their second Group A match.
During their previous clash in the group stage, a goal from Doha El Madani and a double from Sanaa Mssoudy, scored in the space of six minutes (50th, 52nd and 58th), allowed AS FAR to turn the situation around , after Elena Obono opened the scoring for Mazembe in the 11th minute.
This is AS FAR’s fourth match against a Central African team, and they have won the previous three.
Previously, against teams from the UNIFAC region, AS FAR won a third place match against Equatorial Guinean team Malabo Kings 3-1 in 2021. They also beat another Equatorial Guinea team, Hurucanes, 1-0 in the group stages in 2023. In this current final, they triumphed over Mazembe 3-1.
This is AS FAR’s second match outside of the group stage against Central African opponents. Their other victory in this framework was in the third place match in 2021, where they defeated Malabo Kings 3-1.
Tout Puissant Mazembe faces opponents from North Africa for the third time, with a record of one victory and one defeat.
Mazembe recorded their first final victory against UNAF teams by defeating Egyptian side Wadi Degla 1-0 in their opening match of 2022. However, they lost their other match in the current edition 3-1 against AS FAR.
Results of the confrontations
Team
MJ
V
N
P
BP
B.C.
Diff
AS FAR
1
1
0
0
3
1
+2
TP Mazembe
1
0
0
1
1
3
-2
Data on the final
This is the fourth final of the CAF Women’s Champions League. Morocco joins South Africa as the second country to be represented in the final three times, after Mamelodi Sundowns, who reached three finals between 2021 and 2023. AS FAR was in the final in 2022 and SC Casablanca in 2023.
TP Mazembe is the first team from Central Africa to reach the final.
With TP Mazembe in the final, this means that four regions – COSAFA, UFOA, UNAF and UNIFFAC – had representatives in the final.
The previous three CAF Women’s Champions League finals were all decided after 90 minutes of normal time, without the need for extra time or penalties.
In the first final of 2021, Mamelodi Sundowns triumphed 2-0 against Ghana’s Hasaacas Ladies, thanks to goals from Chuene Morifi and Andisiwe Mgcoyi.
AS FAR clinched victory in the second final, beating Mamelodi Sundowns in Rabat to win the 2022 edition. Fatima Tagnaout opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and Ibtissam Jraidi scored a hat-trick in the second half, sealing the success of his team.
Mamelodi Sundowns won the last final in 2023 by beating SC Casablanca 3-0. Refilwe Tholekele scored twice, while Boitumelo Rabale added another goal to seal victory for the South Africans.
The previous three finals produced a total of 9 goals, with an average of three goals per match. In each of these finals, only the victorious team found the net, and none of these finals saw both teams score.
This is the second consecutive final where two teams meet after facing each other in the group stage. In 2022, Mamelodi Sundowns won their two meetings against SC Casablanca, winning 1-0 in the group stage before winning 3-0 in the final.
Ibtissam Jraidi of AS FAR in 2022 is the only player to have scored a hat-trick in the final.
AS FAR was the host team in both editions where it reached the final, also host in 2022.
AS FAR’s 4-0 victory over Sundowns in the 2022 final is the biggest victory in a final.
Both teams scored 10 goals to reach the final, AS FAR with just 18 shots on target, while Mazembe had 30, the most shots on target of any team.
AS FAR has a shot conversion rate of 32.26%, the best among the four semi-finalist teams, while TP Mazembe has a rate of 14.49%.
So far, AS FAR has won 49 duels with a success rate of 59.80%, while TP Mazembe has won 74 duels with a success rate of 67.30%.
No team has won as many duels as TP Mazembe 249, while AS FAR has won 204.
AS FAR completed 1231 passes with an accuracy of 76.08%, while TP Mazembe completed 664 passes with an accuracy of 55.29%.
None of these teams have ever been involved in a penalty shootout in the final, only two encounters have been decided on penalties: Mamelodi Sundowns beat Malabo Kings in 2021 after a 0–0 draw, and in 2023 , SC Casablanca defeated Ampem Darkoa 2-2 on penalties, these two matches were semi-finals.
AS FAR (Morocco)
AS FAR are in their second final after their 4-0 win over Sundowns in 2022.
AS FAR is the second team to play in multiple finals, after Mamelodi Sundowns, who participated in three finals.
With AS FAR in the final, this means they are the only team to have finished in the top 3 in all editions of the competition.
With AS FAR in the final, it will be the third consecutive final involving a Moroccan team, after the participation of SC Casablanca in 2023, which lost to Mamelodi Sundowns, and that of AS FAR in 2022.
AS FAR has never faced a penalty shootout in the final. All of its previous seven matches in the knockout stages were decided during regulation time play.
AS FAR are currently on a five-game winning streak, having triumphed in their third-place match in 2023 as well as in all four matches played until the final of the current edition.
A win for AS FAR would put them on a six-match winning streak, something they have only achieved once before, winning their third-place match in 2021 and all five matches of the 2022 edition.
AS FAR scored 10 goals in these final stages, a total which represents their greatest offensive performance in a single edition, having also scored 10 goals in their triumph in 2022.
AS FAR goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi will play her 20th match in the final, a record in the competition, with no other player having played more matches than her (19).
Er-Rmichi made 12 saves during the tournament, the second most saves by a goalkeeper who played at least two matches.
Er-Rmichi is the only player to have participated in all AS FAR matches in this tournament.
Among the current squad of AS FAR, eight players were already part of the victorious team of the tournament in 2022. They are Khadija Er-Rmichi, Zineb Redouani, Ikram Benjaddi, Siham Boukhami, Nouhaila Benzina, Fatima Zahra Dahmos, Najat Badri, Aziza Rabbah and Ghizlane Chhiri.
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Mazembe is playing in her first CAF Women’s Champions League final.
A victory would allow them to become the third team to win the title, alongside Mamelodi Sundowns and AS FAR.
If victorious, Mazembe would become the third team, after AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns, to see both their men’s and women’s teams successful in the CAF Champions League and CAF Women’s Champions League.
Mazembe reached the final after winning their first match 2-0 against UWC Ladies, before losing 3-1 to AS FAR and triumphing 4-0 against Aigles de la Médina.
