Too late for Malawi Junior Flames in 2027 AFCON qualifiers

**MAPUTO-(MaraviPost)-**Malawi’s Junior Flames staged a dramatic late comeback to beat Comoros 2-1 on Wednesday, but the victory was not enough to keep their hopes of reaching the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alive.

According to the official COSAFA YouTube broadcast, Comoros took the lead through Ziyad Ali Moussa before Malawi produced two late goals through Mwisho Mhango and Austin Yasini to secure all three points in Maputo.

The result saw the Junior Flames finish their Group C campaign with six points from three matches, having won two games and lost one.

Malawi opened their campaign with a defeat against Zambia 2-0 before responding with a 3-0 victory over Botswana to revive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

However, the final match against Comoros presented a difficult challenge, with Malawi needing a convincing victory to improve their goal difference and strengthen their chances of progressing.

Comoros made the task even harder by taking the lead through Moussa, who found the net in the first half to send his side into the interval ahead.

The Junior Flames continued searching for an equaliser after the break but struggled to convert their opportunities into goals as the clock continued to run down.

With Malawi facing elimination, the team finally found a breakthrough deep into stoppage time when Mwisho Mhango scored in the 92nd minute to make it 1-1.
Austin Yasini then completed the dramatic turnaround two minutes later, scoring in the 94th minute to give Malawi a 2-1 victory.

The comeback gave Malawi all three points, but the margin of victory was not enough to secure progression to the semi-finals of the COSAFA Under-20 tournament.

Malawi had needed to score at least seven goals without conceding to give themselves the required advantage after earlier results in the group, but that target proved beyond the Junior Flames.

The six points earned from victories over Botswana and Comoros left Malawi second in Group C, behind Zambia, who won all three of their group matches.

The failure to progress also means Malawi have missed the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations through the COSAFA route.

The Junior Flames’ exit comes despite the squad featuring several players who are already gaining experience in Malawi’s top-flight football

Coach Enos Chatama said the team created opportunities during the tournament but acknowledged that failure to take their chances was a major problem.

The coach indicated that the issue of finishing chances would need to be addressed when the team returns home, following a campaign in which Malawi managed five goals while conceding three across three group matches.

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