Bayelsa Queens missed out on a return to the CAF Women’s Champions League after losing 8–7 on penalties to hosts ASEC Mimosas in the WAFU-B final on Friday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The contest at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro began brightly for the home side, as Ami Prisca Diallo struck in the sixth minute to ignite the Ivorian crowd. Bayelsa responded through Emem Essien, who levelled in the 18th minute with her third goal of the tournament.
Both teams traded chances but could not be separated across 120 minutes, with the match ending 1–1. In the shootout, the sides matched each other kick for kick until Bayelsa missed, allowing ASEC to hold their nerve and clinch an 8–7 triumph.
The result means that for only the second time in five editions of the CAF Women’s Champions League, Nigeria will not be represented — the first coming in 2023, when hosts Nigeria saw Delta Queens fall to Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa in the WAFU-B final.
For ASEC Mimosas, the victory was historic. They became the first Ivorian club to win the WAFU-B qualifiers and book a Champions League ticket, ending the long dominance of Nigerian and Ghanaian teams. They are also the first host nation to lift the trophy.
Côte d’Ivoire, which has now staged four of the five editions, saw its commitment rewarded as ASEC secured passage to the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League. The Ivorians will carry the region’s hopes on the continental stage, while Bayelsa Queens are left to rue a painful near miss.
