Red Roses denied dream home final

The defending champions were thrashed 5-0 by the South African giants in the semi-final played in the GU Stadium, ending their hopes of reaching a third successive final and retaining the crown they won last year.

Red Roses will instead face Malawi's Silver Strikers in Saturday's third-place playoff, while Sundowns will meet ZESCO Ndola Girls in the final for the region's place at this year's CAF Women's Champions League finals to be played later this year. GU had known they were facing their biggest test of the tournament. Sundowns, two-time African champions and the most successful side in the history of the regional qualifiers, arrived with a perfect group-stage record. But few would have expected the defending champions to be taken apart so comprehensively in front of their home supporters.