The Malawi National Football Team suffered their second heaviest defeat at Bingu National Stadium when they got hammered 4-0 by Kenya National Football Team in a Four Nations Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
The Flames man in charge Patrick Mabedi trusted the starting eleven of, Brighton Munthali, Stanley Sanudi, Denis Chembezi, Joseph Balakasi, Jubril Okedina, Lloyd Aaron, Chimwemwe Idana, Wisdom Mpinganjira, Robert Saizi, Chawanangwa Kaonga and the long time service forward man Gabadihno Mhango.
A tournament that Malawi is hosting for the first time saw Micheal Olunga claiming a brace in the first minutes of the whistle depreciating the whole flames and the first half ended the same.
Three substitutions in the 15th minute of the second half saw Mabedi taking out Mhango, Chawanangwa Kaonga, and Robert Saizi for the debutant Hervi Kumwenda, Patrick Macheso, and Chifundo Mphasi.
The hosts had a chance to reduce the arrears after a foul on Mphasi in the box for a penalty. Aaron stepped up, but his spot-kick was well saved by the goalkeeper Patrick Matasi in the 68th minute.
Mabedi made a double substitution by introducing John Banda and Patrick Mwaungulu for Idana and Aaron to try to force something out of the match in front of thousands of their fans.
But the Harambe Stars put the game beyond Malawi’s reach with yet another excellent goal deep inside the six-yard box through Ayub Masika in the 83rd minute after the hosts’s defense was caught napping in the line of duty, 0-3.
The Flames tried to push for at least a consolation goal through Mphasi, Kumwenda and Mwaungulu, but the Kenya’s were very solid at the back to deny the hosts from reducing the deficit.
The visitors hammered the final nail on Malawi’s coffin with a spectacular goal in the additional minutes through John Avire to win the game 4-0 and advanced to the final of the tournament where they will now face Zimbabwe who defeated Zambia 6-5 on penalties following a 2-2 result in the normal time.
As for Mabedi’s charges, they will fight for a third place against Zambia on Tuesday next week.
