Malawi Hits The COSAFA Road, Snatch 1- 0 Vital Win Over Chipolopolo

DURBAN, South Africa: The Malawi national football team, the Flames, defeated Zambia 1- 0, in their opening match of the 2023 COSAFA Cup on Thursday, July 6, 2023 in a thrilling encounter that was played at King Zwelithini Stadium.

A well floated ball from a corner kick taken by Flames captain, Stanley Sanudi created a defensive error that gifted the Flames a goal in the 16th minute, as Zambian defender Aaron Katebe inadvertently pounced the ball into his own net.

It was unbelievable to see Malawi’s midfield dominating large spells, keeping possession and building attacks that stretched the defending champions.

The resolute Malawian defence, marshalled by Alick Lungu, Nickson Mwase, Dennis Chembezi, and Sanudi managed to frustrate the Chipolopolo attackers who were all over the pitch for the entire 90 minutes searching for the equalizer, with goalkeeper Brighton Munthali making key saves.
Interim coach Patrick Mabedi praised his players’ execution, saying, “We needed to beat the champions to boost our confidence and this is sweet victory, told my boys that we needed to win the match so that we could dedicate the win to the Independence Day celebrations, and the boys just did the same”.

Mabedi further said “We did not give our opponents time to play, and we kept the ball away from them and am glad that the boys executed the plan.”

Alick Lungu was named Man of the Match for his defensive display that helped the Flames claim three valuable points and move level on points with Group B leaders the Comoros, who beat Seychelles 3-0.

This hard-fought victory over top seed Zambia has given Malawi’s COSAFA Cup aspirations a shot in the arm but Mabedi knows the journey is long, and his improving squad must build on this performance.