Lerato Mailoane 
Malawi achieved a historic victory in the 2023 Hollywoodbets Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women's Championship by defeating former champions Zambia with a score of 2-1. 
This triumph marks Malawi's first-ever COSAFA Women's Championship title, and the thrilling match took place at the electrifying Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, on a Sunday afternoon.
The Malawi players couldn't contain their excitement as they secured their inaugural COSAFA Women's Cup title. The game initially saw Zambia take control, and they had a close call in the opening 15 minutes when Salome Phiri's shot from a corner found the roof of the net.
Malawi, led by Temwa Chawinga, later seized the initiative, with Letisha Lungu making a crucial clearance. Shortly after, Asaminye Simwaka provided an opportunity for her captain, but the header went over the bar.
Sarah Jere, Zambia's top goal scorer in the tournament, had a chance to score, but her attempt lacked power and was comfortably saved by Mercy Sikelo. Jere made another forward run and passed to Phiri, who was in the box but couldn't get a touch.
After 20 minutes, a foul on Rose Kadzere awarded Malawi a free-kick, which Chawinga stepped up to take. The shot was deflected for a corner, which ultimately yielded no result.
Four minutes after the half-hour mark, Chawinga passed to Simwaka, who scored the opening goal, breaking the deadlock with her second tournament goal.
Malawi seemed to gain momentum and constructed a beautiful team goal initiated by Chawinga, leading to Simwaka passing to Sabinah Thom to extend their lead.
However, Video Assistance Referee (VAR) technology intervened and disallowed the goal, citing evidence of Chawinga fouling the Zambian captain Lushomo Mweemba.
Malawi had a chance to secure a second goal in the early stages of the second half through Kadzere, but her shot went wide. With Malawi pressing for a second goal, a set-piece opportunity arose after a foul on Rose Kadzere.
Irene Khumalo's long-range shot forced Lungu to punch it away for a corner, resulting in no further action.
In the later stages of the match, Irene Khumalo conceded a penalty due to a handball, allowing Agness Phiri to equalize with just four minutes left on the clock.
However, the joy was short-lived for Zambia, as a defensive error by their captain saw Thom capitalize in injury time, securing the winning goal and the ultimate championship for Malawi.
Mozambique claimed the bronze medal in the tournament, standing on the podium for the first time. They secured their third-place finish by defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 in the earlier third/fourth-place playoff. 
In a highly tactical match, Mozambique netted two quick goals through Lucia Moçambique and Cina Manuel, three minutes before full time and in injury time, respectively.
Although the score could have been higher, a VAR disallowed Deolinda Gove's goal two minutes after the hour mark. This was the first time VAR had been used at the tournament.
In the individual awards, Temwa Chawinga received the Golden Boot, having scored nine goals, and was named the Player of the Tournament. Cynthia Shongwe was honoured as the Goalkeeper of the Tournament for conceding just two goals on behalf of Zimbabwe. The Fair Play Award was presented to Zambia.
Photo Cred:COSAFA