Tadious Manyepo in Lilongwe, Malawi
Malawi 2-0 Zimbabwe
MIGHTY Warriors coach Stella Gotal feels her girls have a fighting chance in the return leg following this defeat by Malawi in the first leg of the opening 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifying round at the Bingu National Stadium yesterday.
The second leg is scheduled for the National Sports Stadium on Tuesday and the Mighty Warriors flew back home immediately after yesterday’s fixture to tie down the loose ends at home.
The Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, scored either side of half-time to secure the win for the home team.
It could have been worse or better for Zimbabwe had the Malawians taken their first-half chances or had the Mighty Warriors scored their own opportunities in the second half.
But at the final whistle, Gotal felt, and rightly so, that the Mighty Warriors can overturn the scoreline on home soil.
The Croatian was taking charge of her first game since her appointment in August and she was cautious in picking her starting XI, settling mostly for the tried and tested personnel who have featured under previous coaches.
While her philosophy is built on attack, she opted to sit deep in yesterday’s encounter playing away to a team high on confidence having recently secured a 2027 World Cup spot by finishing second at the recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Rather strange picks were Nokukhanya Ndlovu and Ruvimbo Mucherera at centre-back and left-back respectively.
But the two somehow vindicated the coach with their outstanding showing throughout the game.
However, the Mighty Warriors’ own mistakes, notwithstanding the quality of Malawi, were their undoing.
While they were able to shut out the threats of Asimenye Simwaka and Temwa in the initial phases, the Mighty Warriors failed to close down a casual cross from the left and Temwa ended up tapping in the opener for the hosts eight minutes before the break.
That sort of disoriented the visitors who were rather lucky to go into the break trailing by only a single goal.
If the first goal was down to casual marking in the box, the second was baffling, Egness Tumbare failing to close down Temwa who outsprinted her to the ball which was basically hers before the
Kansas City striker drove into the box.
The commotion saw Tabitha benefitting from it to double Malawi’s advantage just after the restart.
Then Zimbabwe came out of their shells and somehow started dominating their hosts with substitute Privilege Mupeti and Ethel Chinyerere guilty of missing good chances.
“I feel we have a fighting chance,” said Gotal.
“We played well especially in the second half and I feel we could have scored at least once.
“But football is like that, we have to fight and overturn this at home.
“This is a new team, at least in the context of me being a new coach and I am happy with what I have seen.
“It was a good game and I have the base to start building from the way I saw things.”
Mucherera attributed the defeat to their own mistakes.
“I thought both goals were avoidable but we can’t change it now,” she said.
“We were supposed to keep concentration throughout the critical phases.
“But we have a chance to turn this fixture around on home soil.”
Teams
Malawi: Mercy Sikelo, Chimwemwe Madise, Rose Kadzere (Talandira Chinyavula 73), Asimenye Simwaka, Temwa Chawinga, Tabitha Chawinga (Vitumbiko Mkandawire 86), Madyina Nguluwe,
Letticia Chinyamula (Chisomo Banda 86), Ireen Khumalo, Rose Alufandika, Benadetta Mkandawire.
Zimbabwe: Cynthia Shonga, Egness Tumbare, Emmaculate Msipa (c), Nokukhanya Ndlovu, Ruvimbo Mucherera, Peacemore Kenende (Privilege Mupeti 46), Daisy Kaitano, Danai Bhobho,
Christabel Katona, Ethel Chinyerere (Shyline Dambamuromo 82), Praynence Zwawanda (Rutendo Makore 20) (Samiah Phiri 88).
