…….Beat Zambia 1-0 in COSAFA opener
By Phillip Pasula
MZUZU-(MaraviPost)-The Malawi National Football Team, The Flames, on Thursday gave Malawians a memorable gift as they were commemorating 59 years of Independence by beating neighboring rivals Zambia at the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup taking place in South Africa.
While the Independence Day celebrations football match back home at Bingu National Stadium between FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Young Africans of Tanzania ended in a goalless draw, The Flames beat the Chipoloplo Boys by a goal to nil.
A well-taken corner kick from the right by Robert Saizi in the 17th minute saw the ball floating into Zambia’s 18-metre box and under pressure; defender Aaron Katebe headed the ball into his own net beating goalkeeper Mulenga. He failed to direct the ball away from his goal area.
The Flames were comfortable on the ball throughout the first half, exchanging passes from one player to another beautifully backed by excellent goalkeeping from Brighton Munthali.
In the second half, Malawi was so cautious in the attack, inviting the Zambians into their own half at times with the aim of breaking their defense on a counterattack.
The Zambians pressed hard for an equalizer but the Malawi defence was solid until the referee blew the final whistle.
Malawi’s Alick Lungu was named man of the match and hailed his fellow players for a spirited performance.
“The coach gave us a lot of confidence. He told us not to fear Zambia or any other team,” Lungu said.
Flames coach, General Patrick Mabedi, said the win was a gift to Malawians on their Independence Day.
Said Mabedi: ”I am happy for the boys. I salute them for sticking to the game plan. I told them the win was going to be a gift for people back home on Independence Day. I’m glad they did the job very well.”
Malawi will play against Seychelles on Sunday from 18:00 Malawi time before meeting Comoros on Tuesday from 15:00.
As it stands, Comoros tops Group B with 3 points followed by Malawi, also with 3 points. Zambia and Seychelles are on position 3 and 4, respectively with no points from their opening matches.
