Eight minutes, three goals, tie over. Ronnel Donnelly produced the first hat-trick of this year's CAF Women's Champions League in a devastating first-half burst as Mamelodi Sundowns thumped Kawempe Muslim 4-1 in Ismailia on Wednesday to reach their first final since 2023.
Sundowns will now face defending champions AS FAR of Morocco in Sunday's final, after the Moroccan side beat Cameroon's Lekie 1-0 in the other semi-final. For Kawempe, the tournament debutants from Uganda, a remarkable fairytale ends one step short of the final — but with a third-place play-off still to play on Saturday.
Eight minutes that ended the contest
Sundowns were on top from the start at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium, piling pressure on a Kawempe side playing the biggest match in their history. The breakthrough, when it came just before the half-hour, opened the floodgates. Donnelly broke the deadlock in the 29th minute from an Asanda Hadebe pass, added her second in the 34th after Lelona Daweti's snap shot fell loose, and completed her hat-trick two minutes later from close range — three goals in eight minutes, as iDiski Times reported from Ismailia.
There was still time for a fourth before the break. Noxolo Cesane drilled home left-footed in the 44th minute, and Sundowns walked in at half-time 4-0 up with the semi-final effectively settled. Remarkably, Donnelly had not scored a single goal in Sundowns' three group matches — she saved her entire tournament output for the night it mattered most.
Kawempe's fairytale runs into a wall
Kawempe's story deserves its own respect. The Valley Warriors reached the knockout rounds for the first time in their history on their tournament debut, and even at 4-0 down they refused to fold. Their persistence was rewarded in the 72nd minute when Latifah Nakasi headed home a consolation, and they thought they had a second in stoppage time — only for the goal to be ruled out after a VAR review found a foul by substitute Anitah Namata in the build-up, with Namata sent off as Kawempe finished with ten players, as Kawowo reported.
Sundowns could even have had a fifth, Refilwe Tholakele rattling the crossbar late on. Godfrey Sapula's side had started the group phase with a goalless draw before beating Lekie and FUS Rabat to reach the last four — momentum that carried them through a semi-final they controlled almost from the first whistle.
A final between the past and present champions
Sunday's final in Ismailia is the heavyweight meeting African women's football wanted: Sundowns, champions in 2021 and 2023, against AS FAR, the reigning champions who edged Lekie in the other semi-final. The winner does not just take the crown; they take the argument about who runs the women's club game on this continent.
It is also another landmark week for African women in the game: Malawi's Chawinga was this week named on the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year shortlist, the only African nominated. On the men's side, continental honours have been just as fiercely debated after the CAF Player of the Year shortlist left out two of the continent's biggest names.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This is what a dynasty looks like when it is built properly. Sundowns did not just beat Kawempe; they showed the gap that organisation, investment and years of continental experience creates — and Donnelly, goalless all tournament, chose the semi-final to announce herself. AS FAR will be a far harder test on Sunday, but on this evidence the Brazilians are arriving at the final at exactly the right moment. Who lifts the trophy on Sunday — the two-time champions or the holders? Tell us in the comments.
