Malawi U-20 in make or break fixture
It is a case of being so near and yet so far as the Malawi Under-20 soccer team takes to the fortress at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka this afternoon.
Mission: To cause an upset against regional rivals Zambia in their quest to qualify for the 2015 Africa Youth Championship in Senegal.
Having lost the first leg 1-2 at home a fortnight ago, the Junior Flames need nothing short of a two-goal margin win to sail through. A reverse 2-1 win could be an option, but then it will mean the contest being decided through penalties.
Despite tales of doom and gloom, coach Ernest Mtawali and his charges remain optimistic they could upset the tables this afternoon.
“We have a very difficult task at hand. Zambia have an upper hand, but remember that we are half-way through and a goal down.
“A 1-0 win will not be good enough for us, so we will go flat out in search of an early goal to unsettle our opponents and then build up from there. Our emphasis will be to attack, but we will not throw caution to the wind,” Mtawali said on Thursday.
A striking partnership of wonderkid Chawanangwa Kawonga and Schumacher Kuwali, who has just been roped in to reinforce firepower, carries the hopes for the Junior Flames, but it may all boil down to the services they will get from midfielders Ernest Tambe, Isaac ‘Tcheya’ Kaliati, Isaac Mwale and Dalitso Sailesi while in defence, Miracle Gabeya, Trevor Kalema, Stanely Sanudi and Boston Kabango should also stand firm to cover up for their ‘keeper and captain Brighton Munthali.
In the first leg, the Junior Flames defensive qualities were cruelly exposed, especially on the right where Sanudi struggled to contain the speedy Zambian winger Saith Sakala and Larry Bwalya, who scored Zambia’s opener.
But Mtawali assured that all the weak areas have been rectified. He also said all his lads were in relaxed mood ahead of the return fixture today.
“You can read the hunger and determination in the body language of the players and that’s what this game is all about,” he said.
New kid on the block Kuwali dismissed suggestions of big stage fright, insisting he is set for his international debut.
“Zambia are a good side, but we can beat them with a proper approach, I am not scared at all,” said Kuwali.
The Junior Flames will be inspired by their past remarkable away record in this campaign in which they were held by Botswana and DR Congo at home only to emerge triumphant in away games. They also beat Cosafa Youth reigning champions South Africa’s Amajita 1-0 away in Johannesburg, but football is such a capricious sport that it doesn’t always go according to script.
Zambia coach Hector Chilombo said he is wary of Malawi’s away record and won’t take any chances this afternoon.
The only time Malawi qualified for the tournament was in 1999 when the likes of Peter Mponda, Esau Kanyenda, Peter Mgangira, late Chikondi Banda and Fischer Kondowe reached the Promised Land in Ghana.
