Malawi continued their fine form in the competition with another strong performance against Zambia, following up their surprise win over Nigeria and sitting in first place in Group C with one match of the group stage remaining.

The fact that they had to play with just 10 players on the pitch after Rose Alufandika was shown a red card seven minutes into the second half makes the result and their performance all the more impressive.

Egypt began the match the better of the two sides and tested Mercy Sikelo with a couple of chances but were not able to find a breakthrough.

Malawi began growing into the game and started producing a few shots of their own, with Temwa Chawinga hitting a crisp half-volley that was well saved by Maha Shehata.

They opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Rose Kadzere was played in by a lovely piece of skill from Temwa Chawinga before blasting the ball into the back of the net.

Malawi doubled their advantage on the brink of half-time with Faith Chinzimu pouncing on the rebound of her own blocked shot to hit a well-timed volley past Shehata.

They kept up the pressure after the break, even though they were reduced to 10 players when Alufandika was dismissed in the 52nd minute for a late challenge on Habiba Essam.

Chawinga put them in a commanding position from a brisk counter-attack, getting on the end of a deft lobbed pass over the defence by Kadzere, beating Shehata to the ball and sliding it past her to make it 3-0 in the 69th minute.

Egypt did not back down, though, and hit back almost immediately when Iman Hassan rose to meet a pinpoint cross from a free-kick to head the ball home to make it 3-1.

The match broke down a bit after that, with a series of fouls by both sides hampering the momentum and creating plenty of stoppages.

Despite being a player down, Malawi held their own and defended well to secure an impressive win and put them in a commanding position to make it to the quarter-finals.

In the other match, Nigeria bounced back from their disappointing defeat to Malawi in their opening game with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Zambia.

The Women's Africa Cup of Nations carries extra significance for all teams involved as all four teams that make it to the semi-finals will qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup, and Nigeria were able to revive their hopes of making the playoffs by beating Zambia.

Nigeria began the match as the stronger of the two sides and were quickly rewarded when Asisat Oshoala scored in just the eighth minute, guiding the rebound of her own shot goalward with her right thigh.

However, their task was made more difficult five minutes before half-time when Oluwatosin Demehin was sent off after an intervention from the video assistant referee for a rough challenge on Barbra Banda. Demehin was initially shown a yellow card before it was upgraded to red following an off-field review.

Zambia were never able to make their numerical advantage tell, though, and struggled to create chances against a well-organised Nigeria defence.

Their best attempt came from a Racheal Kundananji free kick that was tipped over the bar by Chiamaka Nnadozie in goal for Nigeria.

The 1-0 win moves Nigeria above Zambia in Group C, but they will still need to beat Egypt in their final game of the group phase in order to secure a place in the quarter-finals and keep their bid for a 2027 Women's World Cup qualification spot alive.

Bunene Ngaduane: Kaizer Chiefs signing Christian Saile Basomboli must stay focused