Malawi Under-15 in opening match victory

Malawi Under-15 national football team came from behind to beat Chinese Taipei 3-2 yesterday in their opening Group B match at the Fifa Under-15 World Cup at Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Takutzwa Maluwe scored twice in quick succession before Elisha Nyirenda added a third goal after the break to hand the Junior Flames a winning start to the tournament.

Chinese Taipei took an early lead through Hung-Yang Huang in the ninth minute, but Maluwe equalised in the 16th minute before completing his brace a minute later.

The Ascent Academy forward nearly completed his hat-trick in the first half, hitting the post as Malawi dominated after recovering from the early setback.

Luwinga Academy’s Nyirenda extended Malawi’s lead in the 23rd minute, reacting quickly to a partially cleared corner before firing home for his first goal in three appearances for the team.

Chinese Taipei reduced the deficit through Shan-Hao Yang in the 33rd minute, setting up a tense finish, but Malawi held on for all three points.

Coach Joseph Malizani described the victory as crucial, saying the players had demonstrated their ability despite conceding early.

“First match determines the whole tournament, and a win to us is a bonus. As I said, we are here to show the world what we can do,” he said.

Malizani said the team used its pace on both wings to trouble their opponents, while praising the players for following instructions.

“They know what to do with the ball, mainly in the wings. We were attacking mainly on left and right wings where our players have speed,” he said.

However, the coach warned that the team had little time to recover before its next assignments.

“We know next game it will be difficult because they know what we are capable of. Now after the opening match, there is no time to rest,” he said.

The Junior Flames are scheduled to face Oman and Suriname on Sunday before concluding their group fixtures against Algeria and Argentina on Monday.

Malawi will look to build on the opening victory as they pursue progress at the invitational tournament.

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