The Malawi Under-17 National Team bowed out of the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifiers after a 4-1 defeat to South Africa in their final Group B match played this afternoon at Ngoni Stadium.
Despite finishing the group stage with six points, the result meant the Junior Flames could not progress to the semifinals.
South Africa showed their intent early, with Simama grabbing a brace in the 24th and 63rd minutes. Molepo struck in the 50th before Madongo sealed the victory in stoppage time. Malawi’s consolation came in the 82nd minute through a towering header from Eli Randles.
Head Coach Enos Chatama admitted that the defeat was down to lack of composure and squad depth:
“We lost because of depth and lack of mental intelligence from our boys. We failed to contain South Africa and gave them too much respect which resulted in conceding easy goals,” said Chatama.
Looking ahead, Chatama said the competition has provided valuable lessons for the future of Malawian football.
“This is a lesson for Malawi. We need to learn from these mistakes and build a strong foundation. Not all is lost — the future looks promising,” he added.
The semifinals will now feature Angola, South Africa, Comoros, and Zambia after the conclusion of the group stages.
Lineup: Jacob Banda, Tadala Mughogho, Hastings Makwenda, Francis Alfanzema, Joel Maziya(Gerald phiri 72′ ) , Moffat Mnyontho, Joel Yakobe, Shabani Daudi(Eli Randles 64′, Faizal Mangulenje , Okester Kanyenda(Owen Kamwiyo), James Lumbe
Unused subs : Chisomo Mdoka, Opex Kantuwanje, Luka Ligomeka,Zaithwa wedson,Vincent Thomson
