Malawi 2 (James Lumbe 41′, Yusufu Nantunga 79′) -3 Lesotho (Thuto Khetsi 6′, Rethabile Nqoko 27′ 54′)

The Malawi U17 Boys team are out of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations| Cosafa Qualifier following a 3-2 loss to Lesotho on Sunday afternoon.

The result mean Malawi have finished bottom of their group with just two points following draws against Mozambique and Angola in their first two matches.

The Enos Chatama side conceded an early goal when Thuto Khetsi scored from a direct freekick just six minutes into the match, a ball which goalkeeper Geoffrey Gama almost saved but it slipped off his hands.

Malawi could have equalised six minutes later when Clifford Chisale’s cross from a Geoffrey Chinyama pass hit the crossbar and bounced on the line.

Though Malawi were strong in the midfield and attack where James Lumbe and Moffat Mnyontho kept on giving pressure to the defence, the team was not lucky enough .

Lesotho’s Rethabile Nqoko doubled the lead at 27 minutes before Lumbe pulled one back  goal at 41 minutes.

A lot of chances were created by Malawi in the second half but just like in the previous two games against Mozambique and Angola, the boys could not take them.

Nine minutes into second half  Rethabile registered his brace through a header.

Yusufu’s Nantunga’s spot kick at 79 minutes was not enough and the boys knew that they needed another goal to at least savage a point from the match but still, the team failed to utilise the chances and it ended 2-3 to Lesotho.

In another group A match, Angola were 1-0 winners against Mozambique and they have qualified to the semifinals having finished top of the group.

Chatama  said  they did not defend well as they gave away cheap goals.

“We wanted to win the game at all coast but we started very slow in all the departments hence the conceding so early. The boys didn’t defend very well in the wide areas, there was no communication between the goalkeeper and his defence and we ended up going down by two goals.

“We piled more pressure on Lesotho and we had a lot of chances but failed to score and the team was not balanced today. We didn’t have our wings back because one was serving a red card and the other one is injured so we shifted players to play at the back and it was hard for them,” he said.

Talking about lesson drawn from the tournament, Chatama said the team needs to have more good players from all department so that it is balanced when one misses match.

“The team looks good in other departments and as we go back home we have learnt that we need to prepare the team in all departments so that they build from the back. We need to have a strong defence to avoid conceding easy goals like what happened to us this time.

“We at least had a good midfield and attackers  but we were not defending very well in set pieces and cross balls. We have learnt that when going to a tournament, we need to have many good players so that when others are out, we don’t miss them but today, missing three players with two sick and one serving ,” he said.

Meanwhile, the girls, who are already out of the championship will tomorrow play their last group stage match against Namibia at the UJ Soweto.  The team has no point in group B having lost all the two games they have played so far.

Lineup: Geoffrey Gama, Thole Sachenja (Chikondi Howa 36′, Vincent Thomson 90+2′), Tadala Mughogho, Francis Alfazema, Geoffrey Chinyama, Moffat Munyotho, Hassan Madula, James Lumbe, Joseph Mataka, Yusufu Nantunga, Clifford Chisale