Egypt and Malawi reached the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations by different routes. After the opening round, the distance between them appears even greater.
Egypt lost 6-0 to Zambia in a match in which they faced 34 shots. Malawi defeated Nigeria 3-2 and became the first tournament debutants to beat the ten-time African champions.
They meet in Rabat on Saturday under very different forms of pressure.
Egypt must demonstrate that their collapse against Zambia does not define their return to the tournament after a ten-year absence. Malawi have a new position to manage: they can no longer present themselves merely as debutants free to enjoy their first appearance.
They now have three points, two of the continent’s most dangerous forwards and a genuine opportunity to move closer to the quarter-finals.
Egypt resisted for a half
The 6-0 scoreline does not tell the entire story of Egypt’s opening match.
Mohamed Kamal’s team kept the deficit to 1-0 during the first 45 minutes despite facing 15 shots, allowing Zambia 30 touches inside their penalty area and spending almost the entire half under territorial pressure. Their defence made 22 clearances before the break and was only breached by Racheal Nachula’s penalty.
That resistance ended after the interval.
Barbra Banda converted a penalty in the 60th minute and scored again three minutes later. Egypt conceded three more goals from the 87th minute onwards and finished the match with 47 clearances, a figure that reflects how much time they spent defending close to their own goal.
Their attacking numbers were even more concerning.
Egypt attempted five shots, produced 0.11 expected goals, failed to win a corner and touched the ball inside Zambia’s penalty area only once. Their three efforts on target forced Hazel Nali into saves, but none came from a particularly clear opportunity.
They will need to do more against Malawi than simply close the spaces Zambia exploited.
Egypt must find a way to advance with the ball and prevent every turnover from giving Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga room to run. Defending close to their own penalty area throughout the match would leave them exposed once again, this time to an attack that showed against Nigeria that it does not need many openings.
Malawi’s victory was about more than their forwards
Malawi’s victory was historic, but it was not accidental.
Nigeria entered the match having won 16 of their previous 17 encounters against tournament debutants. They had scored 67 goals and conceded four. Malawi needed one night to change that record.
The game remained goalless until the 73rd minute, when Temwa Chawinga finished off a quick attacking move to score Malawi’s first goal in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history. Six minutes later, her sister Tabitha doubled the advantage.
Nigeria reduced the deficit from the penalty spot in stoppage time, but Temwa responded with Malawi’s third before Uchenna Kanu completed the scoring in the 99th minute.
The sisters decided the match, although Malawi offered more than simply waiting for them to exploit space.
Both teams finished with 13 shots. Nigeria produced 1.96 expected goals and Malawi reached 1.83, but the debutants created four big chances to the champions’ two. Their efforts on target generated 3.27 expected goals on target, more than twice Nigeria’s total.
Malawi defended with discipline, prevented Nigeria’s possession from developing into a sustained siege and retained enough energy to settle the contest during the final 20 minutes.
That patience is not entirely new.
Faith Chinzimu scored in the 82nd and 84th minutes to secure the 2-0 victory over Angola that sent Malawi to the tournament for the first time. Against Nigeria, all three goals again arrived after the 70th minute.
Head coach Lovemore Fazili has tried to contain the excitement before their second match: “There is no comfort zone and no honeymoon. The players know exactly what is at stake tomorrow.”
Six points would not yet guarantee qualification
Zambia lead Group C with three points and a goal difference of plus six. Malawi also have three points, while Nigeria and Egypt enter the second matchday without a point.
Victory would take Malawi to six points, although it would not guarantee qualification before the later meeting between Nigeria and Zambia. If Nigeria beat Zambia, all three teams could still finish the group stage level on six points.
The result would nevertheless leave the debutants in a commanding position before facing Zambia on Wednesday.
Egypt’s position is far more urgent.
A second defeat would leave them without a point and dependent on Nigeria beating Zambia to preserve even a remote chance before they face the champions. Victory, by contrast, would move them level with Malawi and restore uncertainty to a group whose expected hierarchy was overturned during the opening round.
Egypt returned to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations through the tournament’s expansion after losing their qualifier against Ghana 7-0 on aggregate. Malawi earned their place on the pitch and used their first appearance to defeat the most successful team in African women’s football.
In Rabat, both must show how much of those opening performances will carry into the rest of the tournament.
Egypt–Malawi Saturday, 1 August · 18:00 local time Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat