Latvian champions Riga FC Women began their UEFA Womenโs Champions League campaign with a convincing 4โ1 win over Estonian side FC Flora Tallinn in the semi-final of their first qualifying round mini-tournament, held on Wednesday in Luxembourg.
All four goals for Riga were scored by Sierra Leone international Kumba Zainab Brima. Utilizing her pace and well-timed service from teammates, Brima completed a hat-trick by the 24th minute, giving Riga a strong 3โ0 lead early in the match. Flora reduced the deficit through Kristina Teern before halftime, but Brima struck again early in the second half to restore Rigaโs three-goal advantage.
This is only the second goal conceded by Riga FC Women this season, first one having recently come from Lithuanian FC Gintra.
This fixture marked the second meeting between the two sides this season; Riga had previously defeated Flora 1โ0 in the Baltic Womenโs Football League match in June.
Riga now advance to Saturdayโs final, where they will face either hosts Racing FC Union Luxembourg or Greek champions AEK Athens, who meet in the second semi-final later tonight. Only the winner of the four-team mini-tournament will progress to the second round of Champions League qualification.
This seasonโs competition format features two qualifying rounds in mini-tournament style, followed by a third round of two-legged ties. Successful teams will then enter the league phase of the UEFA Womenโs Champions League. Additionally, for the first time, UEFA will introduce a second-tier continental tournament โ the UEFA Womenโs Europa Cup โ where clubs eliminated from later qualifying stages may continue their European journey.
