Malawi don make history as dem beat Algeria 3-1 for semi-final of 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) for Rabat, Morocco. Di Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, share all three goals as di Scorchers continue dia fairy tale run for di tournament.
Di Southern Africans, wey dey make dia Wafcon debut, be di lowest-ranked side for Morocco, but dem still too strong for Algeria. Before dis match, dem don already beat heavyweights Nigeria and Ghana for di competition.
Di scoreline no tell half of di story, as di match na frantic, end-to-end encounter wey get two first-half red cards and plenty presentable opportunities wey both sides spurn. Algeria defender Morgane Belkhiter see red for denying Malawi skipper Tabitha Chawinga a goalscoring opportunity, before Tabitha break di deadlock for di 33rd minute with acrobatic overhead kick wey hit di crossbar, bounce, and spin back over di goal line.
Temwa Chawinga extend di lead for di first minute of first-half added time before dia team-mate Rose Kadzere also comot for di break after another long VAR check for a studs-up lunge.
Di second half na only slightly more calm, wit Ikram Adjabi initially giving Algeria hope before Tabitha Chawinga second goal finish di matter. Malawi go face Cameroon for Sunday’s final (19:00 GMT), as dem look to become di fourth nation to lift di Wafcon trophy and complete a remarkable underdog story.
Malawi success for di expanded 16-team tournament for Morocco show sey women’s football for Africa dey grow beyond di traditional big names. Excluding di inaugural edition for 1998, dem be di first debutant to reach di final.
But since dem don already book dia place for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup for Brazil, courtesy of dia run to di last four, di Scorchers now dey on di verge of something very special. Anything look possible wit di Chawinga sisters firing on all cylinders for attack.
Tabitha don help OL Lyon to another French title last season, while Temwa win di second golden boot and MVP award wit NWSL side Kansas City Current. All di hype ahead of di campaign don now show make sense, as di sisters don score eight of dia team’s 12 goals – five for Temwa and three for Tabitha – and dem get pace, power, and positional awareness wey opposition defences dey struggle to cope with.
Tabitha opener for di match go dey remembered for a long time. When Asimenye Simwaka, wey just two weeks ago bin dey run for di 200m and 400m semi-finals at di Commonwealth Games for Glasgow, head a corner back into di middle of di penalty area, di elder Chawinga look no danger as she get her back to goal. But di 30-year-old twist and apply a clever left-footed overhead kick wey beat Algeria goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi but no beat di crossbar. As N’Gazi twist to avoid di ricochet, she tink she fit collect di ball on di bounce, but di backspin make am end for net.
Belkhiter red card, wey come for di middle of di first half, look harsh even as replays show am catch Tabitha for di back of di heel. Di challenge come far from goal, and Belkhiter team-mate Roselene Khezami, wey bin dey challenge from Chawinga other side, get something on di ball as she lunge in at di same time.
Temwa Chawinga take advantage of di numerical advantage to round N’Gazi and stroke home to make am 2-0, but Kadzere deserved red card shortly after open di door to di North Africans. Di Malawi midfielder just about make contact wit di top of di ball before going over di top and catch Marine Dafeur above di ankle. Di challenge come inside di Algeria penalty area and na totally unnecessary.
Algeria Melissa Bethi and Temwa Chawinga both miss glorious opportunities inside di opening minutes of di second period before Adjabi strike on di hour. Two Malawi defenders make mess of dealing wit Dafeur deep free-kick, allow di forward to fire back across goal on di volley to half di deficit.
Both sides look like dem dey run out of steam before Tabitha Chawinga settle di contest wit her second goal, driving into di penalty area almost unchallenged to side-foot home from just outside di six yard box.
Ranked 153rd for di world, Malawi don take Wafcon by storm. One final hurdle remain in form of Cameroon, after dem see off di hosts on penalties, but on dis form di Chawinga sisters go feel anybody be beatable.
