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Malawi stunned Ghana’s Black Queens 2-1 to reach the WAFCON semifinal and also qualify for a first ever FIFA women’s World Cup, cafonline reports.
A dramatic second-half winner from Rose Kadzere capped another unforgettable night for the tournament debutants, whose remarkable run continued after earlier victories over defending champions Nigeria and Egypt in the group stage.
Just seven minutes into the contest, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah finished clinically to hand Ghana an early lead and briefly put Kim Lars Björkegren’s side on course for a return to the last four.
Five minutes later, captain and star forward Temwa Chawinga once again demonstrated why she is regarded as one of Africa’s finest attackers, drawing the Scorchers level in the 12th minute.
Ghana believed they had regained the lead shortly after the restart when Doris Boaduwaa found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out following a VAR review.
Despite introducing fresh attacking options, including Princella Adubea, Wasila Mohammed and Princess Marfo, Ghana struggled to break down a disciplined Malawi defence.
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The Scorchers, meanwhile, continued to threaten on the counterattack through the pace and movement of the Chawinga sisters.
Their persistence was rewarded in the 79th minute thanks to Kadzere, who found space inside the penalty area before producing a composed finish beyond the Ghana goalkeeper to put Malawi ahead for the first time.
Ghana threw numbers forward during the closing stages in search of an equaliser that would force extra time, but Malawi defended resolutely to protect their advantage until the final whistle.
Having topped Group C on their maiden appearance, the Scorchers have now become one of only a handful of debutants to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s AFCON, while simultaneously booking one of Africa’s four automatic places at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For Ghana, the defeat was a bitter blow to their hopes of returning to the global finals for the first time since 2007.
However, the Black Queens remain in contention for a World Cup place and will now face Côte d’Ivoire in the African play-off, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Women’s World Cup intercontinental play-offs.
