France-based Malawian female football icon Tabitha Chawinga and Egypt-based forward Vanessa Chikupira shone for their teams on Saturday.
The Scorchers captain starred as her team Olympique Lyonnais beat rivals Paris Saint Germain (PSG) Women 1-0 to at Stafe Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to become the inaugural champions of the LFFP Cup.
| Courtesy of Tabitha Chawinga
On the other hand, Chikupira scored her first hat-trick in the Egyptian women’s top-flight league as her team Palm Hills Women FC thrashed Zamalek Women 9-2.
In the LFFP final played before a sold-out crowd and monitored on Olympique Lyommaid TV, Tabitha was unfortunate to be denied what would have been the first goal in the 35th minute against her former team after the referee disallowed her effort for off-side.
But OL Lyonnes fought on and broke the deadlock in the 59th minute through Melchie Durmonay who was well-positioned to provide the final flourish from close range.
In an interview yesterday, Tabitha said she was excited to win the club first silverware of the season.
“It always feels great to win honours because that’s the whole essence of the game and being the inaugural edition, added to the excitement,” she said.
“I thank Almighty God for His blessings. Kudos to all my teammates and the coaches, we fought all the way.”
Meanwhile, Chikupira was the centerpiece of Palm Hills’ convincing win over Zamalek.
The victory follows another emphatic 6-1 win over SAK FA on Monday. Palm Hills are fifth in the 16-team league with 39 points from 22 matches.
