Old habits die hard. The Malawi National Football Team, the Flames, conceded yet another late goal as they bowed out of an African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier following a 2-0 loss to South Africa at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria Sunday.
This means the Flames exited the tournament 2-1 on aggregate after they beat Bafana Bafana1-0 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe last week.
The match was destined for the dreaded penalty shootouts but a lapse in concentration at the back cost them the match.
Neo Maema pounced on a loose ball to beat goalkeeper George Chikooka with four minutes to full time.
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The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder, who missed the first leg, benefited from Flames’ poor defending and slotted the ball into the net.
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It was heartbreak for the Flames, who thought they did enough to take the match into penalties after Victor Letsoalo scored the first goal for Bafana in the 12th minute of the match.
Despite enjoying huge support from Malawians living in Pretoria, the Flames delivered yet another disappointing performance.
But overall, the Flames were jittery at the back for the better part of the match and gave away cheap goals.
In addition, the Flames started the match on a low note, such that it took them time to settle down.
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Without coach Kalisto Pasuwa, who was admitted at Med Clinic due to illness, his first assistant Peter Mponda was in charge of the team.
Mponda made one change to the side that beat South Africa in the first leg as Promise Kamwendo was handed his debut.
The striker partnered Binwell Katinji upfront but the Flames finished the first half without a shot on target.
Now wonder, Kamwendo was replaced by Chawanangwa Gumbo at the break.
The introduction of Gumbo changed the complexion of the match as Malawi started going forward and creating chances.
Katinji nearly got the important away goal deep into stoppage time but his header was saved by Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Petersen to the disbelief of the Flames huge crowd that turned up for the match.
On the other hand, South Africa made six changes to the side that lost 1-0 in Malawi.
The changes had an instant impact on Bafana Bafana as they looked a changed side.
After the match, Mponda said he was disappointed with the result.
“The result is not a true reflection of the match. We played well and dominated the midfield. We gave away the two goals,” Mponda said.
Mponda said there were several positives they could draw from the match despite the loss.
“We were a bit shaky at the back. But going forward we were good. It is unfortunate that we are out of the competition,” Mponda said.
On his part, South Africa Coach Molefi Ntseki admitted that the Flames gave them a good run for their money.
“I am happy for the players and congratulations to them,” Ntseki said.
