Malawi Under-17 National Football Team is now within touching distance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Under-17 Cosafa Youth Championship after beating reigning champions Zambia 1-2 at Hearts Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe yesterday.
The tournament is also being used as a qualifier for the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a match monitored on Fifa+, Malawi showed characteristic grit to come from a goal down to stun their neighbours in a tight affair.
second goal. | Courtesy of
Cosafa
Despite the win, Malawi remain second in the four-team Group B in which they are tied on six points with South Africa, who have the bragging rights courtesy of a better goal difference.
South Africa’s Amajimbo have a goal difference of seven while Malawi have three.
Tomorrow’s match between Malawi and South Africa will decide the group winners.
Playing earlier, South Africa thumped Madagascar 5-1.
The top teams from the three groups alongside with the best runner-up will qualify for the semis.
During the match yesterday, the Zambians, who lost their opening match 3-0 to South Africa, took the lead in the 20th minute through Albert Kunda, but buoyed by the clearance of six players, who were unable to play in the opening match against Madagascar due to lack of passports, Malawi equalised 10 minutes later through striker James Lumbe.
To his credit, he was again named player-of-the-match.
Lumbe was in the picture again to haunt the Zambians in the added time of the first half to take his tally to three goals.
In the second half, Zambia enaged an extra gear in search of an equaliser, but the Malawian lads held on to bag full points and boot out the reigning champions.
Job done, Malawi players turned the pitch into a theatre of celebrations after the final whistle as the Zambians stood motionless in disbelief.
