Kawempe Muslim Ladies suffered a 4-1 defeat to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, ending their hopes of reaching the final on their debut appearance.

The Ugandan champions were punished by a devastating first-half display from the two-time continental winners, who scored four goals before the break at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.

Ronnel Donnelly was the difference, scoring a hat-trick in just nine minutes, with goals in the 29th, 35th and 37th minutes. Noxolo Cesane added the fourth in the 45th minute to leave Kawempe with a mountain to climb.

Kawempe, who had earlier made history by defeating defending champions AS FAR Rabat 3-2 in the group stage, showed improvement after the break and pulled one back through Latifah Nakasi in the 72nd minute.

However, the deficit proved too big to overturn as Sundowns comfortably protected their advantage to book a place in Sunday’s final against AS FAR.

Despite the disappointment, Kawempe’s continental campaign is not over. They will face Cameroon’s Lekié Football Filles in Saturday’s third-place play-off, with an opportunity to finish their maiden appearance on the podium.

The Ugandan side had enjoyed an impressive run to the semi-finals, highlighted by their historic victory over AS FAR, and will now seek to end the competition with a positive result.

Sundowns, meanwhile, will be chasing a record third title when they meet AS FAR in a repeat of the 2022 final, with both sides having won the competition twice.