FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women defender Bernadetta Mkandawire played the full match as Malawi defeated Zimbabwe 2-0 in the first leg of the 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers at Bingu National Stadium on Friday afternoon.
Goals from sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga secured the victory for Lovemore Fazili’s side, giving the Scorchers a two-goal advantage ahead of the return leg.
The match marked Malawi’s first international outing since their historic 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign, where the Scorchers finished as runners-up and qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
Mkandawire featured in every match of that campaign, making Friday’s encounter her first appearance for the national team since the continental tournament.
Mkandawire produced an assured performance throughout, combining disciplined defending with support for attacks down the flank as she helped the Scorchers secure a clean sheet.
Her Bullets Women teammate Lyna James, who was also named in the Scorchers’ squad for the qualifiers, was not among the substitutes for Friday’s encounter.
Malawi made a bright start, with Temwa coming close to breaking the deadlock in the 22nd minute before Asimenye Simwaka narrowly missed the target eight minutes later.
The breakthrough arrived in the 33rd minute when Tabitha beat her marker down the left and delivered into the penalty area. Zimbabwe initially intercepted the ball, but she regained possession and set up Temwa to fire home.
The sisters combined again five minutes after the restart, with Temwa turning provider. The younger Chawinga broke into the box and beat the advancing goalkeeper before coming under pressure from the Zimbabwe defence. She then picked out Tabitha with a well-weighted back pass, allowing the captain to double Malawi’s lead.
Zimbabwe threatened to pull a goal back in the 81st minute when the visitors broke into the Malawi penalty area, but Mkandawire made an excellent recovery to block the effort and preserve the Scorchers’ two-goal advantage.
The defender also pushed forward in added time, making two runs down the flank and delivering crosses into the Zimbabwe box, both collected by the visiting goalkeeper.
Malawi will travel to the National Sports Stadium for the return leg on 13 October, looking to protect their advantage and secure progression to the next round.
The winners on aggregate will advance to the next round in February 2027, where they will face the winners of the tie between Kenya and Seychelles. Kenya hold an 11-0 advantage following Thursday’s first leg.
