Malawi Flames mess up
The Malawi National Football Team Tuesday blew away their chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Cosafa Cup after a barren draw with Mauritius in their second match of the tournament.
The Flames needed to win against the Indian Ocean islanders to stand any chance of dating South Africa in Sunday’s quarterfinal but the draw sees both teams out of contention.
What makes matters worse is the fact that the Flames have failed to score a goal in 180 minutes and do not inspire confidence to change matters tomorrow in their encounter against Angola.
Assistant Coach Gerald Phiri Senior admitted that his team had made life difficult for itself with the draw but commended the players for an improved performance compared to the Tanzania match.
Phiri Senior said his charges needed to realise that playing well without scoring goals cannot take the team anywhere.
“We needed a win in this match but it is sad that we have failed to score. Going two games without scoring is not good. But the team has a future,” he said.
Coach Ronny van Geneugden reverted to the traditional 4-4-2 formation after failure of the 3-4-3 in the Tanzania match.
Ernest Kakhobwe retained his position in goals while Ian Chinyama replaced Lucky Malata in a defensive formation that also had captain John Lanjesi, Dennis Chembezi and Stanley Sanudi.
Levison Maganizo and Micium Mhone were given a chance in midfield alongside Chikoti Chirwa and man of the match Dalitso Sailesi.
Innocent Bokosi also earned the trust of Geneugden in the starting eleven to partner Jabulani Linje up front.
But the team kept firing blanks in the entire match to earn a useless point going into the Angola match.
Group leaders Tanzania were meeting second-placed Angola as we went to bed.
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