Africa-Press – Malawi. For all the early promises following three consecutive wins in the opening matches, the Flames’ hope of reaching the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup final for the first time in 20 years, went up in smoke Friday.
The Flames lost 3-0 on post-match penalties to Lesotho after the two teams played out to a 1-1 stalemate in regulation time at King Zwelithini Stadium, in Durban, South Africa.
So painful was to lose the match in post-match penalties after playing the entire second half with a numerical advantage after defender Motlomelo Mkhwanazi was sent off due to two yellow cards.
Lesotho goalkeeper Sekhoane Moerane was the hero of the day, saving three penalties for Malawi. Moerane saved Stanley Sanudi’s first penalty kick before Chimwemwe Idana and Patrick Macheso missed theirs.
Flames interim coach Patrick Mabedi introduced goalkeeper Innocent Nyasulu for Brighton Munthali in a tactic meant to have a better penalty saver, but the move did not yield any positive result.
Lesotho scored all their three penalties. Following the loss, the Flames will fight for bronze against South Africa, who lost to Zambia 2-1. In regulation time, Jane Tsabantso broke Flames’ resilience in the 18 minute with a well-crafted goal beating Munthali for the first time in this year’s competition.
However, Chawanangwa Kaonga pulled Malawi level from the penalty spot after Mkhwanazi handled a Lanjesi Nkhoma’s goal-bound shot. Again, the Flames were wasteful in front of the goal.
Kaonga was the main culprit for Malawi. With the goal at his mercy, Kaonga shot wide after Nkhoma did the donkey work. Both teams started the match on a high looking for an early goal.
The first chance of the match was for Malawi but Kaonga headed wide from Idana’s cross. However, Lesotho responded quickly but captain Sanudi cleared off the line with goalkeeper Munthali already beaten.
In a post-match interview, Mabedi rued missed chances. “We tried our best and we gave them a good run for their money. We had so many chances and we could have buried the game in regulation time but we lacked composure,” Mabedi said.
On his part, Lesotho coach Leslie Notsi praised the players for showing great character despite having a numerical disadvantage. “The boys did not lose hope and believed in themselves,” he said. Idana was voted man of the match. Sports analyst George Kaudza-Masina said Flames wasted several chances.
“We lost the game when we failed to utilise the numerical advantage and changing the goalkeeper was unnecessary as it has proved to have been a big gamble. Overall, the performance was good,’’ he said. Malawi beat Zambia 1-0 in the opening match before beating Mauritius and Comoros by 2-0 margins. In the final, Zambia will meet Lesotho.
For More News And Analysis About Malawi Follow Africa-Press
