Malawi U-20 begin Cosafacampaign with defeat

The Malawi National Men’s Under-20 Football Team yesterday kick-started their campaign in the 2027 TotalEnergies Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Cosafa Qualifier with a 2-0 loss to Zambia in Group C opener in Maputo, Mozambique.

Billy Daka’s late brace in the 78th minute and stoppage time proved fatal for the Junior Flames.

Malawi’s captain Mhango (L) tussles with

a Zambian opponent I Courtesy of Cosafa

The defeat means Malawi must beat Botswana and Comoros in their remaining group matches to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stage.

The Junior Flames’ assistant coach Mapopa Musukwa attributed the defeat to slow attacks and failure to get the feel of the pitch before the match after they trained on an artificial turf.

“At times, we dominated play but we were caught off-guard due to slow build-ups when attacking. We also did not have a chance to have the feel of this [natural grass] pitch,” he said.

The Zambians have avenged their 2-1 loss in the last edition’s semi-final, in which Germany-based captain Mwisho Mhango scored a brace for Malawi.

This is Malawi’s fourth defeat to Zambia in their last five meetings.

Malawi aim to navigate the group stage and secure qualification for the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Afcon finals to be hosted by Ghana in February and March 2027.

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