Malawi’s enterprising Paris Saint-Germain prolific football star, Tabitha Chawinga’s dream to win the Champions League has for now been shattered after her team was booted out in the second leg of the semi-finals against Olympique Lyonnais in a thrilling 2-1 encounter.
The Les Parisiennes have fallen fighting tooth and nail to the very end of the finishing line with just but one step short of the final.
It has been a long standing dream for the Malawi Scotchers captain, the nimble-left footed winger and forward, Tabitha Chawinga’s dream to play in the Champions League and subsequently win the cup.
The industrious Chawinga, however, has fulfilled half of her dream in playing in the Champions League but still has to win the cup in a final to complete her dreams.
“I have always dreamt to play in the Champions League and then win the cup. I have always wanted to be one of the first African to win it. We tried our best but it wasn’t mean to be, so we will try again,” said Chawinga, who has just been crowned Le Parisienne’s player of the season after clinching the D1 player of the month awards for March and April consecutively.
She, maybe, still has the chance.
Despite her efforts, the Paris Saint-Germain current top goal scorer, Chawinga’s team were beaten by fate by Lyon in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, despite being the better side, marking the end of their European journey.
It was a great clash of French football, a European rendezvous, an electric rivalry between two galaxies driven by their ambitions and once again, Paris Saint-Germain crossed paths with Olympique Lyonnais on the road to the stars.
The spectacle was magnificent and action packed – In a Parc des Princes, where more than 30,000 fans of the club from the capital came to support Les Parisiennes, they hosted the eight-time European champions for a tense second leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
All the ingredients were there for history to be written and gainst their nemesis, Les Parisiennes relied on their core players to try to turn the tide and reach the final with Jocelyn Prêcheur concocting a line-up brimming with quality, led by a fiery attack trio featuring Chawinga, Katoto and Baltimore.
It was to be expected and the start of the match quickly set the tone: we would have to stand up to all the adverse winds – Right from the start, the Lyon players gave Paris Saint-Germain back four a hard time, posing a threat to the backline.
A threat that was quickly pounced upon as it took only two short minutes for Salma Bacha to open the scoresheet, but this, nonetheless, did not demoralise Le Parisienne’s Rouge et Bleu as they kept being determined, no matter the scenario, to show the determination needed in big matches.
So, after the first fifteen minutes of resisting the visitors’ attacks, Chawinga and company stepped up, showing a relentless desire to seize control of the ball.
And when the Lyon players sought to regain control of the game, Paris Saint-Germain also had to step up, from Baltimore’s fierce tackles to Geyoro’s recoveries, to the invaluable clearances by Gaetino and De Almeida, relentless in defence.
What a fierce battle it was.
It took a lot of personality and all you had to do was see the bursts forward by the team to gauge their desire to turn the tie around, and a surge in intensity quickly bore fruit.
It was the relentless Tabita Chawinga, Paris Saint-Germain’s top scorer this season, who perfectly capitalised on Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s assist to beat Endler and equalise 41 minutes into the game.
One thing is certain, the Parisiennes had no reason to blush in front of Lyon, as they managed to dominate the possession throughout the first half by a staggering 62% possession at half-time.
The nature of the fixture didn’t allow for it. Nor did the two goals that were still needed to secure qualification.
But that was without counting on the experience of Sonia Bompastor’s players, who took advantage of another strong spell to regain the lead, courtesy of Dumornay, less than ten minutes before the end of the match scoring at the tick of 81 minutes.
Unfortunately, despite all Le Parisienne’s hardwork, efforts, their tenacity, and the goals scored against Lyon in both the first and second legs, luck favoured the rivals, and it became too difficult this Sunday to make up for the deficit.
Paris Saint-Germain, therefore, has exited the competition with their heads held high, falling just short of the Champions League final.
Now, the focus shifts to the Paris Saint-Germain’s next two objectives: a Coupe de France final on the horizon and a D1 Arkema play-off that may offer hope for revenge.
“I have always dreamt to play in the Champions League and then win the cup.”
Tabitha Chawinga
Paris Saint-Germain and Malawi women team captain.
