Malawi National Football Team yesterday held Burundi to a goalless draw in a dead rubber 2025 Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at the
Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The result means the Flames have collected their first point in five matches in the campaign but remain bottom of Group L.
The match monitored on MBC TV, with not much worth to write about, saw the Flames attempt seven shots on goal, but none on target.
Their opponents, on the other hand, hand nine shots on goal and three on target which Flames goalkeeper William Thole saved.
the match
In the 42nd minute, Malawi got a free-kick on the edge of the box following a foul on Richard Mbulu, but Frank Gabadinho Mhango sent it wide of the goal.
Mhango also saw his effort blocked after Chawanangwa Kaonga shrugged off his man on the right wing in the 85th minute before sending a cross which Burundi goalkeeper parried onto the path of the Marumo Gallants forward.
Again, he came close to scoring in added on time when his bicycle kick from Gomezgani Chirwa’s cross missed the target by a whisker.
The match was also not without drama. In the 69th minute MacDonald Rameck was shown a yellow card for a foul, but the referee flashed a red card thinking it was a second caution.
Malawi players and the technical bench protested and, after consulting the fourth official, the referee withdrew the red card.
At the end of day, it ended goalless as Malawi head back home for the last qualifier against Burkina Faso at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Monday.
Interim coach Kallisto Pasuwa made several changes to the squad.
He maintained goalkeeper Thole, Lameck, John CJ Banda, Lanjesi Nkhoma and Denis Chembezi from the previous qualifier against Senegal.
The Zimbabwean tactician blended them with recalled Mhango, Mozambique-based Richard Mbulu, Romania-based utility player Charles Petro, Alick Lungu, Chirwa, Gaddie Chirwa and debutant Yankho Singo.
The Flames were already eliminated after losses to Burundi, Burkina Faso and twice to Senegal.
Joint pool leaders Senegal and Burkina Faso, who tie on 10 points and clash today, already qualified for the Morocco finals
