Malawi girls reach African Schools tourney final
Malawi girls football team on Saturday reached the CAF African Schools Championship qualifier final after beating Zimbabwe 2-1 in the semi-finals played in South Africa.
Juliet Kalua and Rejoice Silungwe scored for Malawi while Kimberly Dube scored for Zimbabwe.
Kalua was also named player of the match following her exploits on the pitch.
It has been smooth running for the Malawi girls as they thrashed Lesotho 6-0 in the first game and were later awarded a 3-0 win after Zambia failed to show up for the second game.
However, it has been tough going for the boys who lost to South Africa 2-1 in the semi-finals to bow out of the competition.
The Malawi boys team made it to the semi-finals despite losing to Zambia 3-0 in the quarter-finals earlier on Saturday.
However the Malawi boys, could not stand the pressure from South Africa. Malawi’s hopes for silverware now lie on the girls performance.
Malawi Schools Sports Association president Blackson Malamula has congratulated the girls on their performance.
“It’s always good to reach the finals, congratulations to them. They should celebrate the week but also be mindful that they have a game tomorrow against South Africa and need to prepare well. We expect a lot and wish them well,” he said
Reacting to the boys exit, Malamula said the loss is part of the learning process.
“It’s true the boys have bowed out but that’s part of the game. These are youngsters and are growing, they will come back stronger. We need to encourage them that this is not the end of the world. We just need to make sure to maintain the team so that they can make a strong Under -17,” he said.