After a week of losses and nights spent in fuel queues, Malawians can smile. Three national football teams suffered defeats, with two eliminated from their tournaments.

​The senior Flames were beaten in Angola, while the Under-23 and Under-20 teams were booted out of their tournaments in Eswatini and Mozambique, respectively.

​Malawians came into the match with sky-high expectations after a historic Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign, where the Scorchers beat defending champions Nigeria 3-2 on their road to the final. This was the team’s first game after the WAFCON exploits, and many people wanted to thank the girls for that historic run.

​By 2.30 pm, one half of the stadium was almost full, making this, by many standards, a historic turnout for a women’s football match in Malawi.

​But Zimbabwe were not easy to beat. With five defenders and a crowded midfield denying space, the Scorchers had to find something different.

The Scorchers were also wasteful in the box. Temwa Chawinga and Asimenye Simwaka both had golden opportunities to open the scoring within 30 minutes, but their efforts went wide.

But the Kansas City forward and WAFCON Golden Boot winner, assisted by her sister and captain, Tabitha Chawinga, made amends to open the scoring in the first half, giving Malawi a 1–0 lead at the break.

Early in the second half, Temwa turned provider, breaking into the box and setting up captain Tabitha Chawinga to double the goal tally beyond Zimbabwe’s reach.

In the last 15 minutes, Zimbabwe threw everything at Malawi in search of a consolation, forcing defender Bernadette Mkandawire to make a crucial late-game goal-line block in the 81st minute to preserve the clean sheet.

Speaking after the game, Zimbabwe coach Stella Gotal said 2-0 is a good result for her side, with positives to take home, including her side’s cameo in the last 15 minutes.

“There’s something positive. In the last 15 minutes, we had opportunities that we did not use, and that gives us motivation for the return match at home, and that gives us a positive spirit”, she said in her post-match interview with Wa Ganyu.

If the Malawi Scorchers contain Zimbabwe in the return leg at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on October 13, 2026, they’ll book their place to face the winner of the tie between Kenya and Seychelles in the next round of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.