Malawi National Beach Soccer Team earned a narrow 7-6 victory over Burundi in the first leg of the 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers at OlympAfrica Stadium in Bujumbura, Burundi, Monday.
The victory means Malawi have a slight advantage over Burundi heading into the second leg slated for this Saturday at Sunbird Livingstonia Beach in Salima.
According to Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Facebook page, captain Isaac Kajamu scored four goals whereas Simba Dala and O’Brien Khumbula scored a goal each but the other one was an own goal.
At the end of the first period, Malawi led by 3-1 but the hosts upped the game and at the end of the second period, the score was 5-3 in favour of Malawi.
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In the last period, Malawi survived scare in the last period as Burundi were looking for an upset. Malawi protected the slender advantage.
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Malawi Coach Willy Kumilambe was not readily available Monday after the game.
The winner between Malawi and Burundi will qualify for the Beach Soccer Afcon finals to be staged in Egypt later this year.
Malawi will be looking for a back-to-back qualification, having made their maiden appearance during the 2022 Afcon Beach Soccer finals held in Vilankulo, Mozambique.
At the tournament, Malawi finished on position six out of seven teams, having lost all the three matches against Mozambique, Morocco and Uganda.
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This year, the team returned to the Cosafa Beach Soccer Championship after a nine-year absence and finished third after beating Saudi Arabia 5-4 at South Beach Arena in Durban, South Africa.
