By Tapiwa Chawagarira
Zimbabwe’s senior women’s handball team bounced back strongly from their defeat to Mozambique, recording an impressive 32-24 victory over Malawi in their third Group B match at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Nations Trophy Africa Zone VI tournament in Lusaka, Zambia, this afternoon.
The eight-goal victory was an important response from Tawanda Mapira’s charges, who were looking to recover from Wednesday’s 37-27 loss to Mozambique, after making a spectacular start to the inaugural senior women’s competition with a 63-7 demolition of Lesotho.
Zimbabwe showed renewed determination against Malawi, producing a much more competitive performance to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive.
Zimbabwe entered the Malawi encounter needing to regroup after Mozambique exposed some of the challenges they face against stronger opposition. Their opening 63-7 victory over Lesotho had placed them among the early pace-setters in Group B, but the subsequent defeat to Mozambique meant they needed a positive result in their remaining fixtures.
The 32-24 triumph over Malawi, therefore, provides the Zimbabwean camp with a valuable boost as the group stage reaches its decisive phase.
The result also completes an interesting sequence for Zimbabwe in Group B. They opened their campaign with a record-breaking attacking display against Lesotho, racing to a 37-2 half-time lead before eventually winning 63-7, with Pamela Sibanda named Player of the Match. Mozambique then proved a tougher opponent, defeating Zimbabwe 37-27 after earlier beating Malawi 39-32 in their opening match.
Zimbabwe’s latest victory over Malawi means they have now registered two wins from their three group matches, in addition to their defeat to Mozambique.
The tournament, staged at the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka from September 15 to 19, features eight nations divided into two groups. Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, and Lesotho make up Group B, while hosts Zambia are joined in Group A by South Africa, Namibia, and Eswatini.
The IHF Nations Trophy is being staged for the first time at the senior women’s level in Africa and provides national teams an additional international platform, while creating a pathway to the continental championship. The Zone VI winner will earn a place at the African Women’s Championship, adding further significance to the competition.
