Can Fazila Ikwaput, Situma dethrone the Ethiopian queen of goals?

Tanzanian centre referee Tatu Nuru Malogo hands over the match day ball to Kampala Queens' striker Fazila Ikwaput after scoring five against FAD Djibouti in the CAF WCL | CECAFA

CAF WCL Can Fazila Ikwaput, Situma dethrone the Ethiopian queen of goals?

Fred Mwambu • 13:19 - 22.08.2023

Kampala Queens striker Fazila Ikwaput leads the top scorers' chart at the CAF Women's Champions League CECAFA qualifier with eight goals.

Loza Abera has stood out in the CECAFA region in almost all the women’s tournaments held since 2016.

The Ethiopian announced herself to the regional scene on September 14th 2016, when she guided her national team to their first win of the CECAFA Women’s Championship by scoring a brace in a 3-2 win over Rwanda.

Abera has managed to guide her club, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, to back-to-back appearances at the CECAFA Women’s Champions League since its inception in 2021.

Stealing the show

Despite failing to help her team to qualify, her prowess in front of goal has rewarded her with two golden boots in 2021 and 2022.

She stole the show in the inaugural edition in Nairobi, Kenya, by banging 11 goals in two group matches against Zanzibar’s New Generation and Yei Joint Stars from South Sudan to finish the tournament with 13.

She returned with another standout performance last year, scoring in every game she played, including nine goals in the three group matches as CBE finished third.

Asia Nakibuka shields the ball away from Buja Queens striker Teopista Situma (left) | FUFA Image
Asia Nakibuka shields the ball away from Buja Queens striker Teopista Situma (left) | FUFA Image

Tight competition

However, this year, Abera has blown hot and cold in the opening three matches scoring only three goals, the same as Kenyan striker Topister Situma playing for Buja Queens.

The Ethiopian managed only one goal as her team mauled FAD Djibouti 8-0.

Her shine was certainly stolen by Fazila Ikwaput, who hammered five past the same opponent on Monday as her Kampala Queens summed the group stage with a 6-1 win in Njeru.

The count leaves Abera in a tight spot in the race for the golden boot as she trails Ikwaput by five goals.

With the tough resistance that Ugandan coach Umar Abdalla Loi’s Yei Joint Stars have staged, it remains to be seen whether Abera will make It count in the remaining games now that Ikwaput’s tournament is almost over. Situma’s Buja meets FAD Djibouti on Friday.

Ikwaput scored five for Lady Doves in 2021, making her the second-best striker in the CECAFA qualifiers with 13 goals in total.

Abera is the all-time leading scorer in the qualifiers with 27 goals.

CBE captain Loza Abera (right) battles for the ball against Buja Queens' Ally Nguruwe | FUFA.
CBE captain Loza Abera (right) battles for the ball against Buja Queens' Ally Nguruwe | FUFA.

So, will Ikwaput dethrone the Ethiopian queen of goals?

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