The Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, stormed into the semi-finals of the 2024 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship with an impressive 9-0 victory over Mauritius at Madibaz Stadium earlier today.
Entering the match tied on points with Botswana, the Scorchers needed a high-margin win to secure their place in the semi-finals—and they delivered in spectacular fashion. Leticia Chinyamula opened the scoring just 8 minutes into the game, setting the tone for Malawi’s dominance. The lead doubled in the 19th minute after Sabina Thom converted a penalty awarded for a foul on Faith Chinzimu by a Mauritius defender. Asimenye Simwaka made it 3-0 in the 27th minute, and by halftime, the Scorchers were comfortably ahead.
The Scorchers came out even stronger in the second half. Chinyamula netted her second goal in the 50th minute to make it 4-0, followed by Thom’s second in the 64th minute. Chinyamula completed her hat-trick in the 79th minute, bringing the score to 6-0, and Thom quickly followed with her own hat-trick four minutes later. Catherine Kachala added her name to the scoresheet in the 85th minute, extending Malawi’s lead to 8-0. In added time, Maureen Kenneth rounded off the scoring with a penalty, sealing the 9-0 triumph.
With this win, the Scorchers topped Group B with 7 points from two wins and a draw, followed by Botswana with 5 points, Madagascar with 4 points, and Mauritius, which finished without a point.
The Scorchers now await the outcomes from the other groups to learn their semi-final opponents, as only the top team from each group advances.