— In what will go down as one of the most astonishing upsets in the history of African women’s football, tournament debutants Malawi sent shockwaves through the continent by defeating 10-time champions Nigeria 3-2 at the Al Madina Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Malawi “Scorchers” lived up to their name, completely flipping the script on the defending Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) champions in a chaotic, five-goal second-half shootout.
A Frustrating First Half :
For the opening 45 minutes, the match followed the expected script. The Super Falcons dominated possession and dictated the tempo, carving out several promising scoring opportunities. However, a combination of resilient Malawian defending and a lack of clinical finishing from the Nigerian frontline left the game locked in a goalless stalemate at the break.
The Chawinga Sisters Take Over :
The match exploded into life in the final twenty minutes as Malawi’s most potent weapons—the Chawinga sisters—took center stage.
Sensing Nigeria’s growing frustration, the Scorchers struck first on the counter. Temwa Chawinga broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute, stunning the Nigerian bench. Before the Super Falcons could properly regroup, her sister, Tabitha Chawinga , capitalized on the momentum, doubling Malawi’s advantage just six minutes later to make it 2-0.
Stoppage-Time Chaos
Staring down the barrel of a humiliating opening-day defeat, Nigeria threw everything forward. Skipper Rasheedat Ajibade threw the Cup-holders a lifeline in the 90th minute, calmly converting a penalty to cut the deficit in half.
However, the relentless Temwa Chawinga struck a fatal blow deep into stoppage time (90+6’), bagging her brace and restoring Malawi’s two-goal cushion.
The drama was still not over. In the 99th minute (90+9’), substitute Uchenna Kanu latched onto a headed ball from the right flank to pull another goal back for Nigeria, bringing the scoreline to 3-2. But the late surge proved to be too little, too late, as the referee’s final whistle blew moments later, sealing Malawi’s historic victory.
Looking Ahead : High Stakes in Group C
The shock defeat leaves the Super Falcons in a precarious position. Earlier on Tuesday, a Barbara Banda-led Zambian side laid down a terrifying marker, pumping six goals past Egypt in the other Group C fixture.
With zero points on the board, head coach Justine Madugu and his squad must immediately return to the drawing board. Maximum points are now absolutely essential when Nigeria faces the rampant Zambians this Saturday—a crunch clash that will likely define the Super Falcons’ qualification drive.
