Defining moment
Malawi National Women’s Football Team coach Lovemore Fazili says his charges go into this afternoon’s Cosafa Women’s Cup semi-final decider against defending champions Tanzania beaming with confidence despite missing captain Tabitha Chawinga.
The Italy-based prolific striker, who scored a second-half hat-trick as the Scorchers thumped the Comoros 6-0 in their second Group C clash on Monday and has won two consecutive Player of the Match Awards, will miss the crucial tie as she returned to her base in Milan yesterday at the end of the Fifa window.
Fazili admitted that the 26-year-old will be missed as she was the Scorchers’ driving force their last two games.
But he said they will not be distracted because there is a back-up for her absence.
The Scorchers, who lost 1-0 to Tanzania in the last edition’s final, top their four-team group on better goal difference, and need a win this afternoon at Wolfson Stadium in South Africa to progress to the semi-final.
Fazili said: “In her place, we have other complete strikers Sabina Thom and Mary Chavinda, who just need proper guidance to have a killer-instinct ahead of the Tanzania clash.”
He added that they will play pressing football and keep the ball in the opponent’s half as they have capable players to do the scoring work.
Fazili further said Tabitha’s absence might also prompt the technical panel to change the format of play which he did not disclose until after yesterday’s training. In their first fixture against Botswana, the Scorchers used a 4-4-2 formation while against Comoros, they switched to a 4-5-1 system.
Tabitha and her young sister Temwa, who plays for Chinese club Wuhan Jiangda, have been influential for the Scorchers at Cosafa.
They missed the last edition due to club commitments but in 2020, they scored 10 of Malawi’s 12 goals as the team reached the semis for the first time in almost a decade.
According to National Women’s Football Association chairperson Suzgo Ngwira, Temwa missed the latest edition due to tough Covid-19 restrictions in China.
She said: “For Temwa, her club said they could not risk releasing her knowing she could only play two games for the Scorchers, but face three weeks of isolation on her return.”
Among the 12 countries at the Cosafa event, South Africa and Zambia have the highest number of overseas-based players with five each.
Banyana Banyana have Rafiloe Jane of AC Milan in Italy, Thembi Kgatlana of Racing Louisville in the US, Linda Motlhalo of Djurgadens in Sweden, Jermaine Seoposenwe of SC Braga in Portugal and Noko Matlou of Eibar in Spain.
Zambia have Barbara Banda of Shanghai Shengli in China, Hazel Nali of Fatih Vatan Spor Kulübü in Turkey, Margaret Belemu of Shanghai Shengli in China, Misozi Zulu of Hakkarigücü Spor in Turkey and Grace Chanda of Madrid CFF in Spain.
Namibia follow with three foreign-based female players Zenatha Coleman of Sevilla in Spain, Annouscka Kordom of Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israeli and Vewe Kotjipati of Tus Lipperode in Germany while Botswana have United States of America-based Thuto Ramafiki of Albany State University and Esalenna Galekhutle of Tyler Junior College.
