Sporting their new Admiral red and black kit that sparked controversy, the Flames yesterday suffered their third defeat in the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, going down 0-1 to Namibia at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
After half way the campaign, the Malawi National Football Team is six points behind leaders Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles.
The Flames remain fourth in the six-team group with six points from five games, five adrift of second-placed Namibia’s Brave Warriors.
It was the first loss for Malawi coach Kallisto Pasuwa and his body language spoke volumes about his disappointment.
He looked down, then touched his nose for a while before finding the energy to congratulate his Namibian counterpart Collin Benjamin and his backroom staff.
No one could blame the visitors, who visibly felt like flying after this vital win which ended their 14-year winless run against the Flames.
The only goal of the match monitored on SuperSport television came in the 40th minute through a move of utter beauty.
A ball floated from the left side near the centre circle was met by a touch of majesty by the Brave Warriors marksman Peter Shalulile, who calmly controlled the ball before stepping aside for Prince Tjiueza to provide the final flourish with a first time shot that gave Flames’ goaltender William Thole no chance.
After the goal, the visitors closed shop and held on to the ball in a clear demonstration of their game plan.
In the second half, the Flames came with renewed purpose. Wisdom Mpinganjira was at the heart of their best moves with his cheeky body swerves and blinding pace down the left flank while Richard Mbulu also proved a thorn in the Namibians’ flesh.
Malawi created a plethora of chances, but sadly failed to make them count.
The notable ones were when Mbulu and fellow Mozambique-based midfielder Lloyd Njaliwa failed to score with only the goalkeeper at their mercy.
Malawi were dealt a blow when their talisman Frank Gabadinho Mhango, who was captaining the Flames for the first time, trudged off the pitch injured and was replaced by Chawanangwa Kaonga.
Later on, Democratic Republic of Congo-based Patrick Mwaungulu also departed the stage as did Mpinganjira and Yankho Singo for Lanjesi Nkhoma and Njaliwa, respectively, but the Namibians held on to their lead.
The Flames’ focus now switches to their next assignment against Tunisia on Monday night in Tunis.
