By Tapiwa Chawagarira
HERENTALS Queens ended their COSAFA-CAF Women’s Champions League Qualifiers campaign on a positive note after edging Lesotho Defence Forces 1-0 in their final match in Gaborone, Botswana, on Monday afternoon.
The Zimbabwean champions produced a determined performance to secure their first and only victory of the campaign. However, the result was not enough to keep their hopes of progressing alive, following defeats in their opening two fixtures.
Herentals Queens endured a difficult start to the tournament, suffering a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Zambia’s Zesco United Ndola Queens in their opening match, before losing 1-0 to Botswana’s Gaborone United in their second outing.
Those two consecutive defeats left the Zimbabwean side with a mountain to climb going into their final group match, as their chances of advancing had already suffered a major blow.
However, the Queens refused to give up and finished with a hard-fought victory over Lesotho Defence Forces, showing character and resilience despite a disappointing campaign.
The 1-0 result provides some consolation for the Herentals side, who had travelled to the regional competition hoping to challenge for a place in the next stage of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Instead, their campaign was undermined by two narrow losses in the opening rounds, particularly the defeat to Gaborone United, which left them with little room for error in their remaining fixture.
While the victory over Lesotho Defence Forces came too late to revive their qualification hopes, it ensured that Herentals Queens did not leave the tournament empty-handed and gave the team something positive to take home.
The campaign also provided valuable exposure for the Zimbabwean champions against some of Southern Africa’s leading women’s clubs. The experience is expected to benefit the players and technical team as they continue their domestic and continental football journey.
Herentals Queens will now turn their attention back to local football, where they will look to build on the lessons gained from their COSAFA-CAF Champions League Qualifiers and return stronger in future continental campaigns.
Although their journey ended earlier than they had hoped, the final-day victory over Lesotho Defence Forces ensured that the Zimbabwean champions bowed out with their heads held high.
