‘We were up against a very good team’

Flames coach Patrick Mabedi says while his charges gave out their all against Equatorial Guinea in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Monday in Malabo, they were up against “a very good team”.

Malawi  lost the match 1-0 via Spain-based forward Iban Salvado Edu’s 81st minute strike from a set-piece.

The Flames were on the back-foot for the better part of the match and according to the statistics, the hosts had 73 percent possession against 27 percent in the first half. Malawi did not have an attempt at goal while the Nzalang Nacionale had 13.

The West Africans also had three shots on target against none for the Flames.

In a post-match interview, the Flames gaffer said: “Credit must go to the team we played, they are a very good team. It is the same team that did well at [2023] Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations] and almost all their players are based overseas.

“All in all, we did our best. The players worked very hard. We are still in the process of rebuilding, so we just need to redeem ourselves.

“We just lost it by not paying attention to detail and [struggled] with basics.”

The former Flames captain also said the referees did not help their cause either.

“Officiation was so disappointing, but that’s what happens when you are playing outside,” he said.

Mabedi further said the plan was to sit back and catch the hosts on a counter, “but we were struggling to mark and go forward”.

However, the coach said it wasn’t all doom-and-gloom, citing goalkeeper George Chikooka and left-back Tatenda M’balaka as some of the players that stood out.

“It was only Chikooka’s second match and he did very well, having also impressed against Sao Tome [and Principe] in his debut. Tatenda was also returning from injury, but he performed very well. So, those are some of the positives,” said Mabedi.

The Flames are fourth in the six-team Group H with six points from four matches. They are four points behind leaders Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles while Namibia’s Brave Warriors are second with eight points.

Liberia’s Lone Stars are third with seven points. Equatorial Guinea, who forfeited six points from their first two matches for fielding an ineligible player, are fifth with three points while Sao Tome anchor the table with no point.

Football analyst Charles Nyirenda said his observation was that Mabedi’s strategy was more about containment than fighting for a win.

He said: “Under such circumstances, something was bound to give. If indeed Mabedi’s aim was to soak up pressure and catch Equatorial Guinea on the break, we should have at least seen them mount sporadic counter-attacks, but that didn’t happen. The defensive approach contributed to the defeat.”