Malawi National Football Team yesterday lost 1-0 to Botswana to finish bottom at the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament after failing to secure a win or score a goal in open play.
Still reeling from their semi-final heartbreak of an 8-9 penalty shootout loss to Zambia after a goalless draw, the Flames were left battling for bronze, but once again, they came up short at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown, Bostwana.
In a match monitored on SuperSport, the decisive moment arrived in the 67th minute when Eric Ookame sparked a swift counter-attack, slicing through Malawi’s exposed defence before teeing up Kamegelo Moloi, who made no mistake from close range, firing past Flames goalkeeper George Chikooka.
Coach Kallisto Pasuwa shuffled his pack, offering opportunities to some players that did not start against Zambia, but the line-up remained largely familiar.
Chikooka guarded the posts behind five defensive players, namely McDonald Lameck, Maxwell Paipi, Nickson Nyasulu, Emmanuel Nyirenda and captain Gomezgani Chirwa.
Upfront, Malawi relied on Lloyd Njaliwa, Wisdom Mpinganjira, Patrick Mwaungulu, Mayele Malango and Babatunde Adepoju, but the attack still lacked cutting edge.
The Flames showed early promise, with Mpinganjira, Mwaungulu and Babatunde all squandering some chances in the first-half.
However, Botswana absorbed the early pressure and returned stronger after the break, taking control of the game.
Pushing desperately for a breakthrough, Malawi committed numbers forward, but paid the price for their urgency.
A poorly defended corner kick led to a turnover, and within seconds, Botswana punished them on the break to secure the only goal of the match and earn bronze while Malawi once again have finished bottom in the four-team tournament.
In a post-match interview Pasuwa said the team did not perform as expected at the tournament.
He said: “We conceded through a set-piece counter-attack. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do anything because we wanted to score. But we couldn’t defend it. That’s part of the game.”
Pasuwa however, said the team improved when compared to the Zambian match performance.
He said: “Comparing to the previous game that we played, I think this one it was better.
“You could see the eagerness in the boys trying for us to have a goal.
“Unfortunately, the goals are not coming. We are failing in the last third of our attack and we need to do more.”
