Silver Strikers Ladies outclassed as Dhlamini double sinks Malawian side in Gaborone

Silver Strikers Ladies were given a footballing lesson by Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, going down 3-0 in their CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifying tie at the Gaborone Stadium in Botswana on Sunday evening.

The Malawian side, nicknamed the Bankers, never settled into any semblance of rhythm, struggling to retain possession and offering little resistance to a South African midfield that dictated terms from the outset.

It was Karabo Dhlamini who set the tone inside ten minutes, gliding past three defenders before drilling a long-range effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ireen Sibade — a goal of real individual quality that immediately put the Bankers on the back foot.

Dhlamini was at the heart of matters again before the interval, curling a free-kick from the edge of the box into the roof of the net to double her side’s advantage and leave Silver Strikers trailing 2-0 at the break, with Sundowns firmly in the ascendancy.

There was to be no respite after the restart. Sundowns continued to control the tempo with their movement and superior possession, repeatedly stretching an increasingly stretched Bankers defence, before a third goal arrived from a corner to complete a thoroughly one-sided contest.

Silver Strikers could find no way back into the match, and the closing stages passed without any meaningful response, as Sundowns saw out a comfortable and largely untroubled victory.

The result leaves little margin for error for the Bankers, who now turn their attention to a decisive fixture against Nsingizini Hotspurs Women — a match they must win if they are to keep alive any realistic hope of reaching the semi-finals.