Scorchers forward Tabitha Chawinga netted her first-ever hat-trick for Inter Milan in their 4-0 demolition of Fiorentina on Saturday.
Fiorentina was the latest victim in the boatload of clubs that have fallen at the mercy of the Malawian. Chawinga got the party started when she drove inside from the right wing to set up Elisa Polli’s opener at 39 minutes.
Seven minutes after the hour mark, she raced in behind the away side’s defense to convert her first goal of the match, all while being rooted.
The 26-year-old then dispatched her second of the afternoon from a narrow angle in the 72nd minute.
With effectively the last kick of the match, the center forward unleashed an absolute thunderbolt to complete her first treble. That’s now 22 goals for the Malawian in her first season in the Serie A Women’s League.
Malawi’s Chawinga joins Kundananji in the 20-goal club
Zambia’s Rachael Kundananji and Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala were the only other African women’s footballers to cross the 20-goal mark in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
However, Chawinga has joined the list. She and her Southern African counterpart Kundananji now sit at 22 and 23 league goals for the campaign. The reigning African football of the year Oshoala, on the other hand, has fired 21 times.
Chawinga is a favorite to land the Golden Boot in Italy. She will become the first non-European to claim the crown.
Meanwhile, Kundananji will be eager to ensure that the Spanish Golden Boot remains in the hands of an African star, with Oshoala being the current holder.
Defenders at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the summer will have to be very wary of the threat posed by Kundananji and Oshoala in front of goal.
Unfortunately, Chawinga won’t have the chance to exhibit her attacking exploits in New Zealand/Australia as her nation did not qualify.
The Women’s world cup is set to kick off from July 20th to August 20th, 2023.
