Harambee Starlets striker Esse Akida was among the toasts of the round as the new-look UEFA Women’s Champions League begun with the Round One semifinals on Tuesday and Wednesday, setting up the 15 finals on Friday and Saturday.

Akida, who came on as a second half substitute for Greek side PAOK scored a historic hat-trick as her side whitewashed Moldovan opponents Anenii noi 6-0 in Group 7.

They will now face Valerenga of Norway in Saturday’s final.

Round One is one of two rounds before the new 16-team group stage, which starts in October. It will be split into two paths: the champions’ path and the league path.

In both paths, Round One will consist of two stages, each of one-off matches: semi-finals and finals/third-place play-offs.

The winners of each final (11 in champions’ path, four in league path) will progress to Round Two, with the draw set for Sunday afternoon.

Two groups will be decided on Friday, with debutants Hoffenheim and AC Milan facing off in one final and Vllaznia taking on Ferencváros. The other groups end on Saturday.

As usual, Dafabet will offer the best odds and the KSh60, 000 free bets available to those who sign up is still available.

Additional reporting by UEFA