The Zimbabwe women’s national football team has returned home following a 2-0 loss to Malawi in the first leg of their 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifying match. The game was held on Friday at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
The result gives Malawi a two-goal advantage heading into the second leg of the first-round qualifier.
Malawi secured its first goal in the 32nd minute from forward Temwa Chawinga. Her sister, Thabitha Chawinga, added the second goal for the home side shortly after halftime, scoring in the 46th minute. The match concluded with a final score of 2-0 in favor of Malawi.
The Zimbabwean team, known as the Mighty Warriors, was unable to score an away goal during the contest.
The two teams are scheduled to compete again in the second leg on Tuesday. The match will be held at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Zimbabwe is hosting its home fixture in a neutral venue as its national stadiums do not currently meet the standards set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for international matches.
The winner of the two-leg series, determined by the aggregate score, will advance to the second round of the African qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games. The team that advances will face Zambia in the next stage of the qualification process.
