Scorchers revive hopes
Italy-based striker Tabitha Chawinga yesterday chalked a second-half hat-trick within a space of 18 minutes as the Scorchers thrashed Comoros 6-0 to keep alive their Cosafa Women’s Cup semi-final hopes.
The Malawi National Women’s Football Team captain’s performance was capped by the second Player-of-the-Match Award. She also won the accolade against Botswana in their Group C opener on Friday as the two teams settled for a one-all draw.
Sadly for the Scorchers, this was Chawinga’s final match at the competition as today she returns to her Italian club Inter Milan after the end of Fifa window.
This means the burly striker will tomorrow miss the Scorchers’ potentially explosive semi-final decider against defending champions Tanzania, who beat Malawi 1-0 in the last edition’s final.
“I am happy to have scored a hat-trick and won a successive Player of the Match Award. It is hard for me to leave the competition before completing our mission. However, I wish my team all the best in the next fixtures,” she said in an interview monitored on SuperSport.
In her absence, the goal-scoring duties will be left to the likes of Fazila Chembekezo, Wezzie Mvula and Rose Kabzere, who scored the other goals yesterday.
The Scorchers top Group C on a better goal difference after Tanzania and Botswana settled for a goalless draw yesterday.
Malawi are tied on four points with Tanzania, who beat Comoros 3-0, in their first match. Botswana are third with two points while Comoros anchor the table without a point.
Only group winners and best runners-up from the three groups will progress to the semi-finals.
Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili said he was happy with the performance of his charges, but urged the players to keep their heads up even in the absence of Tabitha.
“This comfortable win is a motivation ahead of our last group match against the defending champions Tanzania. We know it will not be an easy ride but we will do our best to win,” he said.
Yesterday, the Scorchers recovered from a dreary first-half performance to put up a sublime display that produced five second-half goals.
Chembekezo was the first to put the Comoros to the sword as she headed home in the 17th minute for Malawi to lead 1-0 at the end of the first half.
Kabzele, who replaced Sabina Thom in the 28th minute, made it 2-0 to the Scorchers with a simple finish, barely a minute after the second-half kicked off.
Then, Tabitha’s moment of clinical finishes arrived. She poked beyond the goalkeeper Aicha Said’s reach in the 63rd minute before rounding off the goal-minder and firing home in the 75th minute. She completed her hat-trick in the 81st minute when she connected home Limbikani Chikupira’s cross.
Wezzie Mvula hit the final nail on Comoros’ coffin when she lurched on a loose ball and put it into the back of the net. At that moment, Comoros goalkeeper and defenders were caught ball-watching as they adjudged Mvula to be on an offside position.
