Edo Queens Beat ASEC Mimosas to Reach WAFU B Semi-Finals

Edo Queens reached the semi-finals of the WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifying tournament with a 3-1 victory over ASEC Mimosas on Thursday night. The Nigerian champions have won both of their Group B matches and now lead the section with six points.

The result followed an even more emphatic opening performance. Edo Queens defeated AS Garde Nationale of Niger 7-0 in their first fixture, and the victory over ASEC means they have scored 10 goals across their opening two matches. Their perfect record has secured a place in the knockout stage before the final group game.

Edo Queens made the stronger start against the Ivorian side and took the lead in the 23rd minute. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi finished the opening goal after the Nigerian club had applied early pressure, giving head coach Kennedy Boboye’s team an advantage that reflected their positive approach to the contest.

The lead was doubled shortly before half-time. Doosuur Atume scored two minutes before the interval, putting Edo Queens 2-0 ahead and giving them a substantial advantage at the break. The second goal also allowed the Nigerian champions to enter the interval with control of a match that ASEC needed to win or draw after losing their opening game to Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies.

ASEC responded after the restart and pulled a goal back, reducing the deficit and putting Edo Queens under pressure. The Ivorian team’s response made the closing stages more demanding, but Edo Queens did not allow the match to slip away after conceding. They remained organised as ASEC searched for an equaliser.

The decisive moment came in the 89th minute, when Oluebube Umajiaku restored Edo Queens’ two-goal lead. The late strike settled the contest at 3-1 and completed another productive night for a side that has combined a high-scoring attack with the ability to manage difficult passages of play.

The victory gives Edo Queens a strong position before their final Group B assignment against Ampem Darkoa Ladies on Sunday. That match will determine how the group finishes, but it cannot remove Edo Queens from the semi-final places. Ampem Darkoa entered the tournament with a win over ASEC, while the Ivorian club now faces the consequences of two defeats in its opening matches.

ASEC’s wider record shows why the result carries weight. The club sits top of the Ivory Coast Ligue 1 2025 table with 62 points from 30 matches, built from 19 wins, five draws and six defeats, with 50 goals scored and 21 conceded. Its recent domestic sequence is less consistent: two defeats, a draw and two wins in the last five listed matches, including a 1-0 loss at Bouaké in the most recent of those games.

For Edo Queens, the immediate significance is tournament progress and momentum under Boboye. The Benin City club has already moved from its opening 7-0 win to a more demanding victory against an established Ivorian opponent without losing its perfect record. The semi-final place is secured, but Sunday’s meeting with Ampem Darkoa offers one final opportunity to strengthen the group-stage finish before the competition moves into its decisive phase.