CAF Women’s Champions League: Bitter-sweet ending for Rivers Angels after Vihiga demolition

The Nigerian champions won their last group game convincingly but still crashed out of the continental competition

Rivers Angels are out of the maiden edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League despite handing a 4-0 thrashing to Kenya’s Vihiga Queens at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in Cairo.

The reigning NWPL champions knew they needed a big win over the Kenyan champions and a Mamelodi Sundowns’ victory over Morocco’s FAR Rabat to stand a chance of progressing to the semifinals.

And after a goalless first 45 minutes, the Angels smashed four goals past the hapless Queens to record their first win of the Champions League.

Vivian Ikechukwu opened the floodgates with a well-taken penalty kick in the 67th minute, and she added a second also from the spot ten minutes later.

Super Falcons teenage forward Gift Monday then set up Oluwadamilola Koku to fire home a third shortly after, before Monday grabbed the fourth of the evening five minutes from time.

But the victory was ultimately not enough to power Rivers Angels through to the next round as South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns could only manage a 0-0 draw against FAR Rabat in the other group match.

Rivers Angels finish third on three points following their earlier defeats to Sundowns (0-1) and FAR Rabat (0-3).