COSAFA Women’s Championship: Malawi bounce back to batter Lesotho

Malawi strolled past Lesotho with a comprehensive 8-1 victory over Lesotho to bounce back into contention at the COSAFA Women’s Championship in South Africa on Saturday.

 

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The 2023 champions needed to make a response at Seshego Stadium after starting their Group A bid with a disappointing 0-2 loss to South Africa on Tuesday. Deborah Henry’s brace, Ireen Khumalo’s double Vanessa Chikupira’s strike plus efforts from Tendai Sani, Olivia Mkandawire and Olivia Phikani provided that response.

Lesotho coach Shalane Lehohla had complained over the matter as his team collapsed to a 0-2 defeat to Angola on Wednesday. This time around, the coach looked embarrassed on the touch line.

What the result means for Malawi

On Saturday, Lovemore Fazili’s girls revived the prospects of a semifinal place courtesy of goals from Irene Khumalo and Deborah Henry. The result saw the Malawians go second in the group on three points at par with Angola who lost 2-0 to the leaders South Africa in an earlier kick-off at the same venue.

Ireene Khumalo opened the scoring for the Scorchers barely after two minutes, unleashing a long-range bullet which scorched Lesotho goalkeeper’s palms, in the process spilling it into her own net.

Six minutes later, it was now the turn of Deborah Henry to announce her arrival on the big stage as she scored her first Scorchers’ goal with a tap in after Vanessa Chikupira’s right-flank delivery across the goal mouth.

A minute later, the Silver Strikers Ladies forward timed her run to perfection, getting on the end of a through ball to place her shot past the exposed Lesotho keeper for her brace.

There was no stopping Fazili’s girls as Chikupila added her name on the scoresheet, flicking the ball over her head and that of Lesotho defence’s breached defence to volley in low effort into the net in the 38^th minute.

A few minutes later, it was now the turn of Henry to make it a hat-trick as she timed her run to perfection in the channels to control the ball with her tender left then twisted to shoot with her right in a blistering counterattack.

Khumalo claimed her double, firing a freekick past Lesotho keeper who found the bounce of the ball too wicked and unpredictable to handle.

How the action panned out in the second half

The girls from the Warm Heart of Africa hit the post and had an effort cleared off the goal line in what was the longest 45 minutes for Lesotho.

The half ended with Malawi’s dominance reflected in 18 attempts, 13 of which were on target.

The six-goal lead for the Malawians at the break seemed too much on paper, but to be brutally honest, Lovemore Fazili’s goals should have been completely out of sight.

In the second-half,  Olivia Mkandawire and Olivia Phikani scored once each to complete the rout for Mehalalitoe who pulled one back through Makhotso Moalosi in the 72^nd minute.

The Scorchers will wind up the group’s assignments when they take on Angola in what is a must-win match for both sides.