Nigeria suffered a 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) clash at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, despite controlling much of the encounter.
The Super Falcons dictated possession and created several chances but were repeatedly denied in front of goal, allowing Malawi to capitalise on their opportunities in the second half.
Temwa Chawinga broke the deadlock in the 69th minute before her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, doubled Malawi’s advantage to put the newcomers firmly in control against the defending champions.
Nigeria responded in stoppage time after captain Rasheedat Ajibade calmly converted a penalty in the 91st minute to reduce the deficit and raise hopes of a dramatic comeback.
Those hopes were quickly dampened as Temwa Chawinga grabbed her second goal of the night deep into added time to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion. Uchenna Kanu pulled one back moments later, but Nigeria ran out of time as Malawi held on to record a memorable victory.
The result marked the first time in WAFCON history that the defending champions have been beaten by a tournament debutant, handing the Scorchers a landmark win and boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to Saturday’s crucial fixture against Zambia. The Copper Queens head into the encounter full of confidence after thrashing Egypt 6-0 in their opening match. The Super Falcons, however, will draw inspiration from their commanding 5-0 victory over Zambia in the quarter-finals of the 2024 WAFCON as they seek to return to winning ways.
