By Praise Majawa:
The Malawi Under-23 National Football Team has been eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Under-23 qualifiers after drawing 1-1 with eSwatini in the second-leg match at Somhlolo National Stadium Tuesday.
The result saw the junior Flames losing 2-1 on aggregate after suffering a 1-0 defeat in the first-leg match at home.
The defeat ends Malawi’s hopes of reaching the Afcon Under-23 finals and also their pathway to qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Malawi needed to win by at least two clear goals to overturn the deficit, but the team failed to find the goals it needed despite dominating for large spells of the match.
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eSwatini took the lead in the 76th minute when Njongo Siphelele Mazibuko finished a counter-attack to put the home side ahead.
The goal put Malawi on the brink of elimination, but the team continued to push forward and its efforts finally paid off in the 90th minute when Ekhaya Football Club forward John Francis Mchema scored from close range to level the match.
However, the late equaliser was not enough to save Malawi, as eSwatini held on for a 2-1 aggregate victory and a place in the second round, where Algeria await.
Coach Bob Mpinganjira made several changes to the team that started in the first leg match, with goalkeeper Precious Masamba, defender Alex Kambilinya and Mchema among the new faces in the starting line-up.
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Mpinganjira said his charges were the better side but were let down by poor finishing and a lapse in concentration in defence.
“It was a very good game from the beginning.
We created a lot of chances and outplayed eSwatini completely. Only that, I think, we did not score goals. We had the chances but couldn’t score,” Mpinganjira said.
This was only Malawi’s second appearance in the Afcon Under-23 qualifiers in seven years, having last competed in 2019, when they were eliminated by Zambia 1-0 in the first round.
