The Malawi women’s national football team, the Scorchers, exited the 2024 COSAFA Hollywoodbets Women’s Championship after a narrow 2-1 defeat to Zambia this afternoon at Isaac Wolfson Stadium in South Africa.
Today’s match echoed the intensity of the 2023 championship final, where the Scorchers claimed a 2-1 victory over Zambia. However, this time Zambia turned the tables, securing a hard-fought win to avenge their previous defeat.
Both teams showcased disciplined play and skilful attacks in a tightly contested first half that saw few chances, concluding in a 0-0 deadlock.
Just after the break, defensive lapses allowed Zambia to seize the lead with a well-timed goal in the 47th minute. Despite an intense effort to recover, Malawi struggled to maintain defensive consistency, allowing Zambia to double their lead in the 68th minute.
Despite pressing for a comeback, the Scorchers were unable to find the net, and Zambia held on to win the match 2-0, advancing to the final of the 2024 Cosafa Hollywoodbets Women’s Championship.
With the victory, Zambia advances to face South Africa, who overcame Mozambique in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after regular time.