Malawi’s victory over Ghana in the last Women‘s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal on Sunday extends the tournament’s greatest ever Cinderella story, but star striker Tewma Chawinga is determined that the Scorchers’ rise won’t end in Morocco.
FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification was Malawi’s target ahead of the WAFCON, with their bold ambitions raising a few eyebrows given the Scorchers’ lowly standing in the African firmament ahead of the campaign.
Arriving in Morocco ranked 153rd in the world — the lowest placement of any team — the southern Africans were embarking on their first ever major tournament and, after being pitted alongside reigning champions Nigeria, title hopefuls Zambia and Egypt in Group C, few gave them any chance of success.
“To tell you the truth, the whole world didn’t believe in us, that we would come here to fight,” Chawinga told ESPN, “but we fight hard and we’re going to fight now.
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“So the whole world will know this team from Malawi, the Scorchers national team. I’m really happy.
“We can fight again in the World Cup, and we’re fighting each game like we need to, to go to the World Cup. Every player knows how it important it is to qualify.”
Chawinga, arguably the outstanding player of the tournament so far, equalised for Malawi with a deflected effort from outside the box against Ghana, who had taken the lead during the opening stages through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah.
After Ghana’s Doris Boaduwaa had had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half, the Scorches took a late lead through Rose Kadzere, with Chawinga playing in her teammate with a fine assist.
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Long considered one of Africa’s finest players, the 27-year-old has had to bide her time to feature at on the WAFCON, despite a remarkable career in Sweden and China, where she won four consecutive league titles, and the United States, where she set a record for goals scored in a single NWSL season.
“I always believed I would get here,” the Kansas City Current star continued. “100 percent. We planned to come here, and here we are this year.
“We’re showing the whole world we can do it and that we have a good team. It’s my first WAFCON, and we’re showing up like we are truly here.”
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As well as her performance against Ghana, the blue-haired Chawinga scored three in the group stage — including a 95th-minute winner against Nigeria in the opener — and has moved one goal behind Barba Banda in the goalscoring charts.
Next up, the rank outsiders will face Algeria in the second semifinal at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, with Morocco meeting Cameroon in the first Last Four clash earlier in the evening.
Given their astonishing performances to date, don’t be surprised to see the WAFCON’s Cinderella story extended a little longer yet.
