Sundowns Ladies Reach CAF Final as Donnelly Hat-Trick Destroys Kawempe

Ronnel Donnelly scored a first-half hat-trick as Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies beat Kawempe Muslim Ladies 4–1 in Ismailia on Wednesday, 11 November, booking a CAF Women’s Champions League final against defending champions AS FAR. Three goals in a devastating spell put the South Africans in charge before Noxolo Cesane added a fourth.

Sunday’s decider brings together two clubs with two titles apiece. Sundowns’ pursuit of a third crown now runs through a familiar opponent, with the Moroccan side standing between them and a place in the competition’s history.

Donnelly breaks the semi-final open

Kawempe held out until the 29th minute. Donnelly then scored again in the 35th and 37th minutes, turning a goalless contest into a three-goal lead before the Ugandan club could reach the interval. Cesane made it 4–0 in the 45th minute; Latifah Nakasi’s 72nd-minute header was Kawempe’s only reply.

Asanda Hadebe created the opening goal and Lelona Daweti supplied the second. Those contributions deserve attention alongside the finishing: Sundowns found different players to provide the chances that Donnelly converted. Once the third went in, Kawempe needed a response while also trying to prevent further damage.

Cesane’s goal made that task harder still. A fourth before the break gave Sundowns room to manage the second half without needing another goal to protect qualification. Nakasi’s header cost them a clean sheet, but the margin remained comfortable.

Both Sundowns scorers also feature in the Banyana Banyana World Cup play-off squad announced this week, adding an international connection to a memorable club result.

An unbeaten campaign gains momentum

The semi-final was Sundowns’ most productive attacking performance of this tournament. They opened with a 0–0 draw against hosts FC Masar, beat Lekié Football Filles 2–1 and finished Group A with a 3–0 victory over FUS Rabat. Those results brought seven points and first place.

Adding Wednesday’s result gives them nine goals scored and two conceded across four matches. The sequence shows a side that has found more goals as the competition has progressed, although each opponent has presented a different test.

CAF’s official semi-final report also puts their unbeaten run across all competitions at 21 matches. That wider record supports the case for sustained form, beyond one excellent evening in Egypt.

For the final, the useful question is how much of Wednesday’s attacking success Sundowns can reproduce against a defence that has recovered strongly from its own difficult start. Donnelly arrives with an emphatic result behind her, but the supply of chances will be just as important as the confidence of the finisher.

Sundowns Ladies chase a third CAF Champions League title

Sundowns won the inaugural competition in 2021 and added their second title in 2023. AS FAR’s victories came in 2022 and 2025. With both on two crowns, Sunday will produce the first club to win this competition three times.

The final is scheduled for Sunday, 15 November, at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, with kick-off at 17:00 SAST. CAF lists the fixture at 17:00 local time in Egypt, which shares South Africa’s UTC+2 offset in November.

There is an additional prize beyond the African title. CAF’s tournament guide confirms that the winners progress to the second round of the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, where Naegohyang WFC await in December. Winning Africa therefore opens another competitive door, rather than guaranteeing a place in the global tournament’s final phase.

This will be Sundowns’ fourth final. Their previous appearances include the painful 4–0 defeat to AS FAR in 2022, giving supporters a familiar fixture with fresh stakes. That result belongs to an earlier edition; Sunday’s teams must settle the current contest on its own terms.

AS FAR bring clean sheets and a decisive captain

AS FAR reached the final by beating Lekié 1–0, with captain Ghizlane Chebbak scoring in the 48th minute. Protecting that lead required them to finish a much tighter semi-final than Sundowns faced after half-time.

Their tournament began with a 3–2 defeat to Kawempe. Since then, they have beaten USFAS Bamako 6–0, Ampem Darkoa 2–0 and Lekié 1–0. Three successive clean sheets provide a firmer basis for assessing their current defence than the opening defeat alone.

Chebbak’s influence also extends beyond her semi-final goal. CAF’s pre-semi-final statistics recorded a match-high 94 touches and 60 completed passes against Ampem Darkoa. Sundowns will need to consider how to disrupt that involvement while preserving the attacking connections that worked so well against Kawempe.

There is a danger in drawing a straight line through the shared opponent: Kawempe beat AS FAR, then lost heavily to Sundowns. That sequence doesn’t establish a winning margin for the final. AS FAR’s subsequent results show how much a team’s tournament can change after one match.

Club form gives Banyana another reason to watch

SAFA’s announced squad lists Donnelly among the forwards and Cesane among the midfielders for the World Cup play-offs in Morocco. Their semi-final contributions give Desiree Ellis encouraging club form to assess before that campaign.

Banyana assemble on 18 November, three days after the continental final. Neither player’s selection guarantees a starting place, but meaningful performances in a knockout match give them a strong platform from which to compete for involvement.

The Betting Read

We’d assess the final through Sundowns’ improving attack and AS FAR’s recent clean sheets before choosing a side or a goals line. The four-goal semi-final could attract attention to Sundowns, but without verified prices there’s no basis for calling either team value or claiming the market has moved.

If markets appear, separate the 90-minute result from lifting the trophy. A regulation-time selection includes stoppage time; a trophy-winner market follows the eventual champion under its stated rules, including a shootout if required. A team can therefore lift the cup without winning a 90-minute bet. Our soccer-betting guide explains the main market choices.

For both teams to score or total goals, weigh each side’s full tournament record and the confirmed line-ups. AS FAR’s recent shutouts challenge an automatic high-scoring prediction, while Sundowns’ attacking progression gives the Moroccan defence a demanding assignment. The available line and price must determine whether either argument offers a worthwhile bet.

We haven’t verified a live South African sportsbook market for this final. Treat those as options to assess if offered, with our sports-betting guide available for help comparing odds and potential returns.

Sunday offers Sundowns a defining finish

Donnelly has supplied the performance that carried Sundowns into the decider. The next task asks the whole team to build on it against opponents who have shown they can recover, score heavily and protect a narrow lead.

For South African supporters, Sunday now carries the prospect of a third African crown and another international opportunity beyond it. Sundowns have earned that chance with an unbeaten run through Egypt. One more victory would turn an excellent tournament into a record-setting one.

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