U-23 register second win
Malawi Under-23 national football team yesterday beat Dutch second-tier league side Roda JC Kerkrade 1-0 in their fourth training match on their European tour.
Chimwemwe Idana scored the lone goal of the match played in the Netherlands.
It was the second successive win for the Junior Flames who also beat Belgian second-tier outfit Genk VV 3-1 on Tuesday night in which Mike Mkwate, Patrick Phiri and Hassan Kajoke were on target.
Coach Meke Mwase said he was happy with his charges’ improved performance in the last two games.
“In the first two matches, which we lost by 3-1 margins, we were slow on the ball and we were not taking shots at goal, but we have noted improvements in those aspects,” he said.
Malawi lost their first two opening games to Belgian top leagie side Sint-Truidense VV (STVV) and second-tier league outfit Oud-Heverlee Leuven (OHL).
Meanwhile, Mwase says he is not in not moved by Zambia’s decision to call six Europe-based players for next month’s joint 2020 Olympics and Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations’ (Afcon) qualifiers.
Zambia Under-23 assistant coach Bilton Musonda yesterday announced that seven foreign-based players—six of them from Europe—are included in their squad.
According to www.zambianfootball.co.zm, the six include Austria-based duo Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu, whose side Red Bull Salzburg is campaigning in the Uefa Europa League.
Fashion Sakala of KV Oostende in Belgian and his former team-mate Emmanuel Banda, who has now moved on loan to a French Ligue 2 side. Others are Edward Chilufya and Boston Muchindu who are based in Sweden and Portugal, respectively.
The players, according to the online publication, are graduates from the ‘Bola na Lesa’ famed Zambia Under-20 team which won the 2017 Afcon Under-20 Championship on home soil. SuperSport United’s Gamphani Lungu completes the foreign-based players’ list.
However, Mwase played down the issue, saying: “We would rather focus on our preparations than be bothered with the composition of the Zambian squad.
“Of course, we can take interest in analysing their strengths and weaknesses, but not where they are playing.”
