Noxolo Cesane hails Sundowns’ determination after reaching CAF Women’s Champions League final

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies attacking midfielder Noxolo Cesane says her team’s 4-1 semi-final victory over Kawempe Muslim Ladies demonstrated their determination to reach the CAF Women’s Champions League final.

Cesane scored the fourth goal against the Ugandan side in Egypt on Wednesday, securing Sundowns’ place in the final for the third time in the club’s history at the competition.

The goal was Cesane’s first in the Champions League and her seventh of the season. Six of her goals have come in the Hollywoodbets Super League.

The result also marks a significant turnaround for the South African side, who are managed by Godfrey Sapula. Sundowns were eliminated in the group stage in 2024 before failing to qualify for the finals in 2025 after being beaten in the regional qualifiers.

Cesane, who represents Banyana Banyana, said the intensity of the semi-final reflected the importance both teams placed on securing a place in the final.

“The game was high intensity and I don’t have much to say about the game,” Cesane told the Mamelodi Sundowns media department.

“But it showed that both of the teams really wanted to win, really wanted to go to the final. And I think we’ve done a great job by winning this final out of the finals played, which is [all] the games because each game was a final game for us.”

Sundowns approached every match in the tournament as if it were a final, while also following instructions to unsettle their opponents and establish an early advantage.

“Despite playing our football, the instructions from the coach were to make sure that we discomfort them, we go forward and make sure we score early in the game, so we’ll be able to manage the game in a way,” Cesane said.

“If it happened that they come at us, at least we would be able to recover during the game. I mean, it was a hard game, but we all wanted [to win].”

The victory puts Sundowns through to the final after their latest continental campaign, following a period in which they failed to progress beyond the group stage and then missed the finals altogether.