Clueless and visionless. These could perhaps be the right words for summing up Malawi National Football Team’s performance against Burundi in a 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe Thursday.
Malawi were simply a pale shadow of themselves as they started the qualifying campaign with a 3-2 defeat.
The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the fans, who had no kind words for Flames coach Patrick Mabedi, asking him to go as he trooped out of the stadium in a chorus of boos.
The loss means the Flames have to be brave and get positive results in the remaining five matches in their group.
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Malawi made a cocktail of mistakes against the visitors, especially at the back, besides being wasteful in front of goal.
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They simply could not put passes together for the better part of the match, with the majority of the players looking lost.
Burundi opened the scores through Chimwemwe Idana’s own goal.
The midfielder headed into his own net in the 22nd minute, beating goalkeeper George Chikooka as he was trying to clear what looked like a harmless ball.
However, Chawanangwa Kaonga pulled the Flames level from a free-kick in the 31st minute.
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Kaonga fired a powerful shot beyond Burundi’s wall, beating goalkeeper Matteo Nkuruzinza.
But two minutes later, Jean Claude Girumungisha restored Burundi’s lead with a tap-in that caught Malawi’s defence napping.
The Flames returned from recess a changed side and pressurised the visitors for an equaliser which never came.
Mabedi later pulled out Yamikani Chester and Idana for Robert Saizi and Patrick Mwaungulu.
The equaliser finally came in the 75th minute when Lanjesi Nkhoma bundled the ball into the net with an intelligent header from Kaonga’s cross.
As the match looked destined for a draw, Burundi broke the hearts of the home crowd with a late winner.
Once again, the defence and goalkeeping departments messed up, with Gomezgani Chirwa and Chikooka failing to communicate.
Chirwa’s clearance hit Burundi striker Mokolo Eldino and bounced back into the empty net. Game over!
The win saw Burundi cruising to the top with three points.
But the standings in the group could change as Senegal host Burkina Faso in Dakar in another Group L match this afternoon.
The Flames have another tough assignment against Burkina Faso in Bamako, Mali, on Tuesday.
Mabedi admitted that the performance was awful.
“A very bad performance from the team. The combination was very bad and the players did not play the way we expected,” he said.
Burundi coach Ndayiragije Etienne said his players deserved the victory.
“The match was not easy. Our opponents were very tough but the boys executed the game plan well throughout,” Etienne said.
