Edo Queens Coach Target CAF Champions League History
Edo Queens coach, Moses Aduku is targeting CAF Women’s Champions League history as they face TP Mazembe on Tuesday for a place in the final of the competition.
A win for the NWFL Champions will make them the first Nigerian team to qualify for the final of the competition since inception in 2021.
Edo Queens became the first Nigerian side to qualify for the second round of the competition unbeaten, while they are also the second Nigerian club to make it beyond the first round after Bayelsa Queens in 2022.
The Moses Aduku-led side sent the defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns out of the competition with a last-gasp 2-1 win thanks to two late goals by Emem Essien, and Mary Mamudu to book their place in the semi-finals.
Aduku was full of praise for Essien, who was named the player of the match in the encounter.
He said, “Essien is a determined and skilled player. If you look at her size, you would underrate her, but I tell you, she is very crafty, and you can imagine with her size we are playing her as a top striker and she is delivering. She did that during our Super 6 in Nigeria as well.
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“Generally, we don’t build the team around a player, but she’s been crucial.”
Aduku also revealed that the team need to improve on their finishing in other to achieve their aim of winning the competition.
He said, “One more game to the final; it won’t be easy, and we are going to go into our plans for the next game. It will be tough, we know.
“Honestly, we need to work on our goal conversion. Clear-cut chances that we should have scored; we will work to improve on that.”
Aduku led the team to the NWFL title and also the WAFU B qualifiers trophy, which helped them to qualify for the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.
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Edo Queens will take on TP Mazembe of DR Congo in the first semi-final on Tuesday, at 4pm Morocco time, before AS FAR of Morocco confronts Masar of Egypt in the second semi-final three hours later.
In their first two matches of the competition, the Queens defeated Commercial Bank of Ethiopia 3-0 and drew 0-0 with Masar FC of Egypt.
They finished the top of the group with two wins and one draw, to earn seven points, while scoring five goals and conceding one.