Aigles de la Médina lose CAF Champions League opener

The Aigles de la Médina must quickly recover from a losing start to their CAF Women’s Champions League qualifying campaign. Senegal’s champions were beaten by Mali’s USFAS in their opening match of the UFOA-A tournament and now need points from their remaining fixtures to keep their qualification hopes alive.

USFAS secured a 1-0 victory on Tuesday at Independence Stadium in Bakau, Gambia. The match was level until the 43rd minute, when the Malian side won a penalty and converted it to take the lead shortly before half-time. The goal proved decisive in a tightly contested encounter between the two West African clubs.

The Aigles tried to restore parity after the interval and created several attacking situations, but they could not break through a disciplined USFAS defence. The defeat leaves the Senegalese representatives without a point from their first appearance in this qualifying campaign, while the narrow margin gives them no room for another setback if they are to advance to the next phase.

Their next opportunity comes against Liberia’s Determine Girls FC on 31 August at 15:00. That fixture will be the second outing for the Aigles in the competition, and a win would bring their first points and provide a necessary response to the loss in Bakau. The Senegalese club, led by president Cheikh Tidiane Bâ, must now turn its attacking efforts into a result against Determine Girls.