Tabitha Chawinga scored twice and her sister Temwa Chawinga added another as tournament outsiders Malawi stunned Algeria 3-1 in Rabat on Wednesday to reach the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final.
Ranked 153rd in the world, Malawi are the lowest-ranked team among the four semi-finalists and sit 116 places below pre-tournament favourites Nigeria, the record 10-time champions who were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Making their debut at the tournament, Malawi capitalised on Algeria’s numerical disadvantage after Morgane Belkhiter was sent off for a last-defender foul midway through the first half.
Captain Tabitha Chawinga opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with an acrobatic overhead kick following a corner.
Temwa then doubled Malawi’s advantage in first-half stoppage time, rounding goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi before finding the net.
Malawi were themselves reduced to 10 players shortly afterwards when Rose Kadzere was shown a red card for a studs-up challenge just before the break.
Algeria pulled a goal back in the 60th minute through Ikram Adjabi, raising hopes of a comeback.
But Tabitha Chawinga restored Malawi’s two-goal cushion in the 76th minute with a superb solo effort to put the result beyond Algeria’s reach.
The victory continued a remarkable tournament for the Chawinga sisters. Kansas City-based Temwa has now scored five goals at the WAFCON, while Tabitha, who plays for French club Lyon, has four.
With Malawi holding firm after restoring their two-goal lead, Algeria were unable to find another breakthrough and will now contest the third-place play-off on Saturday.
Malawi will face either hosts Morocco or Cameroon in Sunday’s final. The second semi-final was scheduled for later on Wednesday, with a record $2 million prize awaiting the champions.
By reaching the semi-finals, Malawi, Algeria, Morocco and Cameroon have also secured qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
