Tournament debutants Malawi executed one of the most shocking upsets in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) history on Tuesday. The clinical underdog edged out defending champions Nigeria in a dramatic five-goal Group C encounter.
Star sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga delivered all three goals to orchestrate the memorable African victory. Meanwhile, Rasheedat Ajibade and Uchenna Kanu scored for the struggling Super Falcons in a late comeback attempt.
Earlier in the day, Zambia whitewashed Egypt with a commanding 6-0 victory driven by Barbra Banda’s four-goal haul. Consequently, Nigeria faces an uphill battle and must conquer Zambia on Saturday to keep knockout hopes alive.
The historic contest burst into life as Tosin Demehin executed a vital block to deny Malawi’s early opener. Shortly after, Nigerian forward Esther Okoronkwo forced a brilliant save from the Malawian goalkeeper with a powerful header.
Furthermore, goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie reacted swiftly before halftime to intercept a dangerous Malawian cross inside the box. Ajibade also threatened after the restart, forcing another fine stop with a precise low strike.
Chawinga sisters orchestrate masterclass to push Super Falcons to the brink
However, Malawi struck first in the 69th minute when Temwa beat the offside trap to score cleanly. She expertly rounded Nnadozie before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net to shock the champions.
Subsequently, Tabitha doubled the lead ten minutes later by latching onto a deep long pass. She kept her composure under pressure and slid the ball neatly under the advancing Nigerian goalkeeper.
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Ajibade briefly restored Nigerian hopes in the second minute of added time by converting a pressure-packed penalty kick. The spot-kick was awarded after a Malawian defender illegally blocked Kanu’s goal-bound header using her hand.
Nevertheless, Malawi immediately responded through Temwa’s second goal as she ingeniously lobbed the stranded Nnadozie. Although Kanu reacted quickly to score in the 99th minute, time ran out for the champions who were chasing an equaliser.
Ultimately, Malawi held firm to celebrate a historic victory while leaving Nigeria’s title defense hanging by a thread.
