Malawi Under-20 National Football Team is in a tricky situation as fate is not in their hands when they face Lesotho in the last Group C match at the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (Cosafa)/Cosafa Qualifier at ABB Stadium in Maputo, Mozambique, this afternoon.
The junior Flames need victory against Lesotho and pray that the Group B match between Zambia and Namibia end in a stalemate as one of the two teams can finish above Malawi on fair play rule following two red cards to Malawi.
Malawi could have been eliminated Monday if the match between Botswana and eSwatini had produced a winner.
Calculations for second place in the group stages mean that results against bottom teams in two groups that have four teams have been discarded.
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Heading into the game against Lesotho, Malawi are second in Group C with three points from two matches.
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But victory over Lesotho would mean the junior Flames would finish the group stages with six points as the result against either Lesotho or Comoros will be discarded.
Coach Bob Mpinganjira believes the junior Flames have realistic chances of reaching the last four for the first time in 11 years.
“We have chances of qualifying for the semifinals. We know anything can happen,” Mpinganjira said.
The junior Flames will be without first choice goalkeeper Innocent Kamwambi and defender Edward Thengo due to suspension.
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The two players got red cards in a 2-1 victory over Comoros on Sunday.
Silver Strikers former forward Adiel Kaduya scored a brace for the junior Flames to keep their chances alive.
The junior Flames last qualified for the Afcon finals in 1999 in Ethiopia.
Then, they lost all the three group stage matches.
Zimbabwe and Angola have already qualified for the semifinals as Group A and B leaders whereas South Africa are in pole position to advance to the last four.
Finalists will qualify for the Afcon finals, whose semifinalists will advance to the Under-20 Fifa World Cup.
