The two teams are separated atop of the table by a point difference four matches to the end of the season.
FC Ebolowa and Lekie Football Filles are bracing up for what is expected to be a familiar dramatic battle for the league title in the last four match days in the ongoing women’s first division football championship campaign. The pair setup the expected showdown after recording mixed fortunes during match day 18 actions in the Guinness Super League competition last Sunday May 11 and yesterday Monday May 12. Defending champions provoked the drama after playing out a 2-2 draw with Louves MINPROFF at the FECAFOOT Technical Center in Odza on Sunday.
Lekie Filles came through with a 2-1 victory over Authentic Ladies of Douala. Following the results, FC Ebolowa increased its points tally to 46 while Lekie Filles climbed to 45points. The tallies mean both teams are separated on the standing by just a point as they head to the last four rounds of matches in the 22-match day competition. The two teams, who are separated from the rest of the competing teams by at least seven points, will now need to negotiate their ways through in the title race via a well-coordinated management of their respective four remaining matches.
FC Ebolowa will be up against Dja Sports, Awa Filles, Authentic Ladies of Douala and Vision Foot Academy. The team will host sister team, Dja Sports and Vision Foot and face Authentic Ladies and Awa Filles away. Lekie Filles will entertain Awa Filles, Ita Mbong Football Club of Nkambe, Éclair Football Filles and Cyclone Football Club of Douala. The first two matches will be held at home before the final two away fixtures against Center Region team, Éclair and Littoral Region’s Cyclone are staged in Yaounde and Douala respectively.
Déjà vu showdown
This is not the first time FC Ebolowa and Lekie Filles are engaged in a fierce battle for the Guinness Super League title. The two teams had a similar run in the championship last season. FC Ebolowa bagged the 2023/2024 crown last year after beating Lekie Filles only on head-to-head considerations. The two teams ended the championship campaign totaling the same number of points.
The sides’ harvested 56points each in the course of the race to roundup what has since gone down in the books as arguably the most interesting title race that has been recorded in the women’s championship in Cameroon in recent years. Despite finishing the season with a more superior goal difference of 44 as against FC Ebolowa’s 36, Lekie Filles missed out on the crown after failing to beat the South Region team.
The Lekie Filles which entered the championship as the defending champions lost one and drew another of its two matches against the Ebolowa team in the course of the season.
Tough relegation battle
While FC Ebolowa and Lekie Filles are negotiating their respective ways to the title crown at the top of the table, the five-team contingent of Authentic Ladies, Vision Foot, Caiman of Douala, Cyclone of Douala and Awa Filles are battling it out for relegation safety in the bottom half. The five teams are separated by just eight points with four rounds of matches left before the race is rounded up. The two relegation spots, the 11th and 12th positions are presently held by multiple league title winners, Awa Filles and Cyclone of Douala respectively.
Awa Filles has managed to harvest just 10points this season while Cyclone has 15points. Sitting immediately in front of Cyclone are Caiman and Vision with 16points each on positions 10th and ninth respectively. Authentic Ladies are placed eighth on the standing with 18points and may need to tighten things just a little bit in its four final matches to be able to escape the relegation knife.
