Malawi’s women’s national football team have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time after beating Ghana 2-1 in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals.
Rose Kadzere scored the decisive goal in the 79th minute as Malawi came from behind to defeat Ghana’s Black Queens on Sunday night. The result also sent the Scorchers into the WAFCON semi-finals.
Ghana took an early lead in the seventh minute through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, who finished after Alice Kusi’s work down the right flank led to a cross into the area.
Malawi responded five minutes later through captain Temwa Chawinga, whose strike from the edge of the box deflected beyond Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan. The sides went in level at half-time.
The second half remained tight before Chawinga created the winning goal from the right flank, setting up 20-year-old Kadzere to score. Ghana had earlier thought they had gone back in front in the 54th minute when Doris Boaduwaa met a Kusi cross, according to ESPN.
Malawi entered the tournament as outsiders and had not previously qualified for a major tournament. ESPN reported they were ranked 153rd in the world before the competition. They will now meet Algeria in Wednesday’s second semi-final at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium, having secured one of Africa’s four automatic places at next year’s World Cup.