National Sports

Temwa africa’s Second best

China-based Malawi women’s football star Temwa Chawinga has been rated as the second best African player on October rankings.

The Wuhan forward is second to Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala who plays for Barcelona FC of Spain on the rankings released yesterday.

Temwa’s ranking is mainly due to her contribution towards Wuhan’s first Chinese Women’s Super League title while her sister Tabitha, who was second in the September rankings, is now a distant seventh, according to ESPN.

Temwa was outstanding in her debut season

“For most of the Chinese Women’s Super League season, the title fight appeared to be a three-way toss-up. Temwa Chawinga’s Wuhan Chedu, Barbara Banda’s Shanghai Shengli and Tabitha Chawinga’s Jiangsu Suning were the outstanding teams.

“As it turned out, the younger of the Chawinga sisters emerged triumphant. Wuhan Chedu topped the first round with 25 points from nine games. Although they suffered their first defeat against Shanghai Shengli in the championship round, they bounced back to top the table once again.

“Wuhan thus set up a final date with defending champions Jiangsu Suning. Temwa Chawinga set the tone for the match, lobbing the opposition goalkeeper to score the first goal in a 4-0 victory.

“This was not only a first title for Wuhan, but a day we might possibly look back on as the making of a star. At 22 years old, do not be surprised if Temwa Chawinga goes on to bag many more honours in the near future,” ESPN reported yesterday.

Oshoala, on the other hand, tops the rankings for her heroics in Spanish women’s top-flight which saw Barcelona outclass Real Madrid and Sevilla.

The Nigerian came off the bench in Barcelona’s 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid and also netted twice in her team’s a 6-0 drubbing of Sevilla in Copa de la Reina semi-final.

Oshoala also started the 6-0 thrashings of Logroño and Sporting de Huelva, respectively, scoring her first goal of the new league season in the latter fixture. She rounded off the month by scoring the third goal in Barcelona’s 5-0 rout of Real Betis.

The rest of the top 10 has Banda (3), Ifeoma Onumonu of Sky Blue FC (4), AC Milan’s Refiloe Jane (5), Eibar’s Thembi Kgatlana (6), Tabitha (7), Rosengård’s Anam Imo (8), Paris FC’s Chiamaka Nnadozie (9) and Eskilstuna United’s Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (10).

Temwa said she was glad that her achievements are appreciated.

“It makes me want to achieve more,” said the Scorchers forward who is expected to lead the way at the Cosafa Championship in South Africa this month.

Related Articles

Back to top button