A brace from top scorer Tholakele Refilwe and Boitumelo Rabale’s strike earned the South Africans victory in Cote d’Ivoire as they reclaimed the title they relinquished last year.

Sundowns’ impressive run in Cote d’Ivoire not only sees them reclaim the title they lost to AS FAR last season, but they set a record of lifting the title without conceding a single goal en route to glory.

The historic win was achieved at a packed Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo on Sunday evening, where a brace by the tournament’s top goalscorer, Tholakele Refilwe accompanied by a Boitumelo Rabale strike saw the South Africans crowned champions with a 3-0 victory over Morocco’s SC Casablanca.

This was the second meeting for the two sides in the tournament after meeting in the group stages where Sundowns emerged 1-0 victors.

With a clear mission of reclaiming the title, Sundowns wasted no time in getting numbers forward and were rewarded in the 21^st minute when Refilwe converted a penalty in the 21^st minute.

Minutes later, Rabale fired the South Africans to a two-goal lead before the break from the edge of the box with a clinical finish that found the bottom corner.

Coming back from the recess, the Moroccans tried getting back into the contest but were met by a resolute Sundowns defense that frustrated each of their attacks.

With momentum on their side, the South Africans put the cherry on top with Tholakele’s 78th-minute finish to officially put the match beyond reach for the Moroccans and seal a second CAF Women’s Champions League title for Sundowns, which is accompanied by a USD 400 000 winner’s prize cheque.

Both making their debut in Africa’s premier women’s football club competition, Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa and SC Casablanca of Morocco have both had an impressive run in Cote d’Ivoire.

Having already made history on debut, it was a place in the final up for the taking for the two sides aiming to put the cherry on top of their impressive debut.

It took just 6 minutes for Comfort Yeboah to open the scoring for Darkoa after the early pressure applied by the Ghanaians resulted in a penalty for Yeboah to slot home.

Minutes later, the defender was back on the scoresheet, this time with an unfortunate own goal that gifted the Moroccans the equalizer in the 28th minute.

Not to be disheartened by the unfortunate incident, Ampem Darkoa continued to push forward and were duly rewarded in the 39th minute after the lively Jennifer Owusuaa regained the lead with a wonder strike from a distance that had the entire stadium in awe.

Returning from the break, SC Casablanca came out a different side in search of the early equalizer. The applied pressure paid dividends for the Moroccan side who were awarded a penalty minutes into the second half for Agueissa Diarra to step up and convert in the 56th minute.

Both sides had equal chance to get the winning goal but were both let down by their finishing when it mattered the most as nothing could separate them in referees’ regulation time as well as extra time.

With the lottery of penalties, it was the Moroccans who emerged 3-2 victors in a dramatic shootout that sees them set up a tie against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, while the Ghanaians are set to battle it out for the bronze medal against AS Far.