By Rahim Abdul
Malawi’s Scorchers beat Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors 2-0 in the first leg of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifiers at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe on Friday, October 9, 2026.
247 Malawi News witnessed the encounter, in which sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga scored in the 33rd and 50th minutes, respectively, to give Malawi an important advantage ahead of Tuesday’s return leg in Harare.
Scorchers celebrating the win
The result puts the Scorchers in a promising position to advance to the next qualifying round, but their failure to convert several clear scoring opportunities means the tie remains open.
Malawi started the match with attacking intent, dominating possession and putting Zimbabwe’s defence under sustained pressure as the hosts searched for an early breakthrough.
Their persistence paid off in the 33rd minute when Temwa Chawinga tapped the ball into the net after receiving an inviting pass from her sister Tabitha, rewarding Malawi’s attacking dominance with the opening goal.
The Scorchers carried their 1-0 advantage into half-time before returning for the second half with renewed determination to extend their lead and strengthen their position in the two-legged contest.
Tabitha doubled Malawi’s advantage five minutes after the restart, scoring in the 50th minute to make it 2-0 and put the hosts in greater control of the encounter.
However, the two-goal cushion could have been larger had Malawi converted more of their opportunities, with Temwa, Tabitha and Asimenye Simwaka among those who failed to capitalise on promising scoring situations.
Those missed chances will be a concern for the technical panel because a bigger victory would have given Malawi greater breathing space before travelling to Zimbabwe, where the Mighty Warriors will have home support.
The Chawinga sisters once again demonstrated their attacking importance to the national team, with their combination producing the opening goal before Tabitha added her name to the scoresheet, giving Malawi two crucial goals without conceding.
Despite the victory, the Scorchers cannot afford to become complacent because Zimbabwe still have an opportunity to fight back in the return fixture, scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, in Harare.
Malawi will therefore need to maintain their attacking threat while improving their finishing and defensive organisation if they are to protect their advantage and move closer to qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States.
