Bayelsa Queens became the first team from Nigeria to clinch a bronze medal in the CAF Women’s Champions League after a 1-0 win over Simba Queens in the third place match at Stade Moulay Hassan on Saturday.

Domo Okara’s women only needed one goal from Juliet Sunday in the second half to silence their East African courters and win the consoling bronze in Rabat.

The Tanzanian and Nigerian champions were hoping to end their seasons on a high after their semi-final losses, and Bayelsa had the best start thanks to Glory Edet’s long-range shot and Etim Edidiong’s header inside the first 10 minutes.

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Simba, on the other hand, held up against the early onslaught from the West Africans, who threatened through the efforts of Asha Djafari and Opah Clement but were unable to score, leading to a goalless draw at halftime for both teams.

The two clubs resumed the match with an end-to-end struggle after the sparse first half.

After a lackluster first half, the two clubs began play with a back-and-forth fight until Juliet Sunday finally broke the tie in the 70th minute off a cross from Mercy Itimi.

Simba made a drive for a goal after falling behind, but Bawou Gabrielle, the goalkeeper, sent Clement’s powerful, spectacular attempt from the edge over the crossbar 10 minutes later.

Bayelsa nearly added a second goal in the waning minutes through substitute Chinyere Igbomalu, but she missed a clear opportunity as her team made sure to hold onto their slim lead to win the golden bronze.

Goalkeeper Bawou Gabrielle earned her second Woman of the Match award in the competition as a result of her excellent goalkeeping in ensuring that Bayelsa Queens celebrate the bronze on their debut.