Bayelsa Queens begin campaign on shaky footing, lose 1-2 to Sundown

Nigeria’s representative in the CAF Women Champions League, Bayelsa Queens, began their quest for glory on a shaky footing, losing 1-2 to defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

However, Bayelsa Queens’ loss was not for lack of effort. Rather, the Yenagoa-based team was beaten because they lost cohesion each time they got to their opponents’ soft bellies.

Yesterday’s game in Marrakesh was the opening match in Group B of the competition held in Morocco.

Bayelsa Queens dominated the first half of the match, but they could not break Sundowns’ tight defence.

The South Africans, however, took the lead through danger woman, Lelona Dawetti, just before the end of the first half.

As if they had learnt their lessons, Bayelsa Queens took the fight to their opponents in search of a leveler. But they soon went down again and for the second time through a Dawetti goal to make the battle harder for the Nigerians.

When it seemed that Bayelsa Queens had lost their bearing in the fight, the Prosperity Girls reduced the tally through a Mary-Magdalene Anjor goal late in the game.

Unfortunately for the Nigerians, Mamelodi Sundowns held on to the end of the game to hand them a losing beginning to their campaign.

Bayelsa Queens will try to redeem their campaign on Thursday when they meet Congo’s TP Mazembe in their second group game.