WAFCON 2026: Chawinga stars as Malawi continue dream run with win against Egypt

Malawi moved to the brink of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals as Temwa Chawinga inspired the Scorchers to a 3-1 victory over Egypt in their Group C clash on Saturday.

Days after stunning defending champions Nigeria, the Southern Africans produced another commanding display to register a second consecutive win and strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout stages.

Rose Kadzere opened the scoring in the first half before Faith Chinzimu doubled Malawi’s advantage shortly before the break. Chawinga then capped another influential performance with Malawi’s third goal, although Egypt substitute Eman Kassem pulled one back moments later.

The victory leaves Malawi with six points from two matches ahead of their final group encounter against Zambia next Wednesday, while Egypt must now avoid defeat against Nigeria to keep their qualification hopes alive.

Chawinga pulls the strings for Malawi

Egypt threatened first when Christina Salama fired wide in the 16th minute, but Malawi quickly settled into the contest and began to exploit spaces in the Egyptian defence.

Faith Chinzimu almost broke through after racing behind the backline, only to be denied by the advancing goalkeeper, before Chawinga tested Egypt with a powerful effort that was pushed behind.

The breakthrough eventually arrived in the 35th minute and it was Chawinga who provided the spark. The striker slipped a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Kadzere, who calmly finished from close range to hand Malawi the lead.

The Scorchers doubled their advantage just before half-time when Chinzimu reacted quickest inside the penalty area, volleying home after seeing her initial header saved.

Egypt fight back after red card drama

Egypt emerged from the interval with renewed urgency and were given a route back into the game when Malawi defender Rose Alufandika was sent off for bringing down Habiba Hafez as she raced towards goal.

Despite being reduced to 10 players, Malawi continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack and extended their lead in the 68th minute.

This time Kadzere turned creator, delivering an inviting cross that Chawinga met with a looping header over the goalkeeper.

Egypt responded almost immediately as substitute Eman Kassem made an instant impact, nodding home to reduce the deficit and revive her side’s hopes.

Scorchers maintain momentum

The North Africans pushed forward in search of another goal, but Malawi’s disciplined defence stood firm while Chawinga continued to lead dangerous counter-attacks.

The final whistle confirmed another memorable evening for the Scorchers, who have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the tournament after back-to-back victories over Nigeria and Egypt.

Malawi now need only a positive result against Zambia to confirm their place in the quarter-finals, while Egypt face a daunting task against the reigning champions in their final Group C fixture.