MOROCCO — Tabitha Chawinga scored twice and her sister Temwa added another as Malawi wrote another chapter in their remarkable debut Women‘s Africa Cup of Nations run, as they defeated Algeria 3-1 to reach Sunday’s final.
Both teams had a player sent off during an entertaining content, but ultimately, the Chawinga sisters’ dominance in the final third proved the difference as the Scorchers pulled off another WAFCON surprise to add to their FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification.
Ranked 153rd in the world before the campaign, Malawi become the first African team since South Africa’s men in 1996 to reach the final of a Nations Cup in their debut tournament, and the first since Banyana Banyana a year before to make the final of the women’s competition.
Algeria had already had Morgane Belkhiter sent off when Lyon‘s Tabitha Chawinga opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark, before sister Temwa, who plays for Kansas City Current in the NWLS, gave Malawi a commanding lead in first-half stoppage time.
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A red card to Rose Kadzere just before the break levelled up the numbers, and Algeria took advantage on the hour mark when Ikram Adjabi pulled one back with a powerful effort from close range.
However, Algeria’s hopes of an equaliser were dashed when Tabitha added a third fourteen minutes from time to send Lovemore Fazili’s side through to Sunday’s final in Rabat, against either Morocco or Cameroon.
Injury-hit Algeria rode their luck during their quarterfinal victory over Ivory Coast, but their good fortune ran out during the opening stages as a dismayed Belkhiter was shown a straight red following a VAR review.
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The officials deemed she had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity as she clumsily connected with Tabitha’s left ankle as she advanced towards the box.
While Temwa has stolen the majority of the headlines during the WAFCON to date, it was elder sister Tabitha who most troubled Algeria, and she broke the deadlock in eye-catching style in the 33rd minute when her hooked overhead kick from a corner bounced down off Chloe N’Gazi‘s crossbar only for the backspin to take it over the line.
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Next, it was Temwa’s opportunity to add her fifth goal of the tournament — taking her level with Zambia’s Barbra Banda at the top of the scoring charts (déjà vu for NWSL fans) — as she was picked out by a fine threaded through ball from Faith Chinzimu and rounded N’Gazi to finish calmly.
There was still time for a late twist in the half, as youngster Kadzere — so impressive in the tournament to date — had her yellow upgraded to a red following VAR intervention after her tackle on Marine Dafeur was deemed to have been reckless.
Algeria sought to force their way back into the game after the break, although it was Malawi who nearly went closest to scoring next when Temwa, racing onto a long ball beyond the Algeria defence, could only skew her right-footed effort wide of the post.
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The Fennecs struck next through Adabi, capitalising on a defensive mix-up to ghost in behind the defence and slam Dafeur’s freekick beyond Mercy Sikelo.
While Algeria sought an equaliser, Malawi rang the changes, and it was Tabitha — taking her own personal goal tally up to four for the tournament — who added the killer blow when she found a gap in the Fennecs defence, advanced towards goal, and slotted beyond N’Gazi after being found by Benadetta Mkandawire’s diagonal ball.
Algeria didn’t concede at all across four matches at least year’s WAFCON, and had only let in two in four this year before facing the Chawinga sisters, who have nine goals between them this campaign.
