In the 73rd minute of a scoreless match, Malawi forward Temwa Chawinga shot down the field like an arrow to receive a long pass from midfield. The ball dropped into the pocket between the opponent’s backline and goalkeeper, a ripe scenario for an attacker whose pace is as blistering as her decision-making.Chawinga, who plays for the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League, nudged the ball with her chest to the goalkeeper’s left, ran around her right, and found a half volley to begin an extraordinary new chapter of firsts in her career: not only her first goal at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, but also her country’s.Malawi defeated 10-time champions and current continental title holders Nigeria in a dramatic 3-2 upset victory on Tuesday, thanks to two goals from Temwa and one from her older sister and OL Lyonnes forward, Tabitha, at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.The win puts the southern African nation in a crucial second place in their group behind Zambia on goal differential.“We are going (to WAFCON) to compete, not just to participate,” Chawinga told The Athletic before she departed for Morocco.“Of course it’s challenging, but the way I am now I gained a lot of experience. The way my sister is (in France), she also has a lot of experience. Faith (Chinzimu) has a lot of experience now, so we’re not just going there to give respect to the teams. We can think like we’re underdogs, but we’re just going there to show up like we can do it. We can do better like the big teams like Nigeria and Zambia,” she said.This African tournament doubles as World Cup qualifying. The four WAFCON semifinalists are guaranteed a ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The four teams that lost in the quarterfinals will compete against each other on Aug. 13, with the winners playing in the FIFA Playoff Tournament that begins in November.In addition to World Cup qualifying and a WAFCON title there is a third, less clearly defined, reward that could be just as life-changing for a young African player: the opportunity to get recruited to play professional football overseas, earn a stable salary from the sport and support their families and community back home.