The Malawi National Football Team’s quest for a win at the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup in South Africa remains unfulfilled, as they were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Namibia at Dr. Petrus Molemela in Free State on Sunday afternoon, leaving them on the brink of elimination.
In the wake of their 1-0 loss to Lesotho on Thursday, the Flames approached the match intending to secure a win to keep their semifinal hopes alive, but they failed to make a breakthrough, watching as their semifinal ambitions dissipated.
Kalisto Pasuwa’s men are still in the running for a place in the semis following the draw, but their destiny is no longer within their control, despite the possibility of beating Angola in the final match on Tuesday at Toyota Stadium.
Pasuwa made four changes to the side that lost on Thursday, giving Emmanuel Nyirenda, Gaddie Chirwa, Blessings Singini, and Promise Kamwendo starts in place of the injured Maxwell Paipi, Wongani Lungu, Timothy Silwimba, and Zeliat Nkhoma.
The match was a dull affair between the two teams, with Malawi creating two chances while Namibia created one chance in the entire 90 minutes.
In the 14th minute, a goal was disallowed for Malawi, with Chikumbutso Salima deemed offside after receiving Wisdom Mpinganjira’s pass.
Mpinganjira continued to pose a threat, delivering a cross into the box for Kamwendo, but the hosts defended resolutely, conceding a corner that ultimately resulted in a free kick for Namibia following an infringement on Kamaijanda Ndisiro.
In the 30th minute, Malawi had a realistic chance when McDonald Lameck delivered a precise cross into the box, locating Salima unmarked. Nevertheless, Ndisiro made an outstanding save to deny the winger.
With 40 minutes played, a spectacular save by George Chikooka prevented Joslin Kamatuka from scoring with a powerful shot outside the penalty area, initially yielding a corner, but ultimately Malawi was awarded a free kick by the referee following a foul on Chawanangwa Gumbo as he was trying to defend the set piece.
There was nothing much to write about in the remaining minutes of the first half.
After the recess, it took Malawi merely a minute to generate a goal-scoring opportunity, as Mpinganjira set up Yankho Singo, who quickly fired at goal, only for Ndisiro to make a brilliant save and prevent Malawi from finding the back of the net.
The second half was mirroring the first, with the two teams locked in a dull stalemate as the two teams found it challenging to string together five passes, reducing the spectators to mere observers of purposeless movement.
In the 77th minute, Malawi had a chance from a free kick taken by Mpinganjira, but Blessings Mpokera’s header was blocked for a corner, which was well-defended by the hosts.
The Flames came close to scoring in the 83rd minute when Salima found Chawanangwa Gumbo at the far end, but his shot was blocked by a defender before Ndisiro’s intervention secured his team’s safety.
With time running out, Malawi needed a goal to remain in contention, but a breakthrough remained a distant possibility as the Stallions closed off all avenues to preserve the 0-0 score.
The Video Assistant Referee reviewed Malawi’s penalty claim, but it was deemed unwarranted due to insufficient contact.
The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate. Consequently, Malawi’s prospects of advancing to the semifinals have been dashed, as a win against Angola in their final game will be insufficient to elevate them from the bottom of the table, where they currently sit with a solitary point from two games.
Mpinganjira was named Man of the match.
What are our prospects for advancing to the semifinals?
Given the current circumstances, our fate is no longer in our hands, as defeating Angola in the final match would only yield four points, an insufficient tally to eliminate Lesotho based on head-to-head results.
Should Namibia prevail against Lesotho, they would garner five points, thereby eclipsing us on points even if we emerge victorious against Angola.
The semifinal spots will now be contested by Angola, Lesotho, and Namibia, while Malawi’s tournament will conclude with Tuesday’s game. The Flames have yet to find the back of the net in Matchompetition.
