Flames pumped to overcome Eq. Guinea’s hunger

Flames ready to burn Equatorial Guinea’s ambition, Malawi ready to go second. Patrick Mabedi’s boys are in Malabo hunting for maximum points as they aim to go second on Group H of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

Malawi National Team could climb the table should they claim a win over Equatorial Guinea on Monday as group opponents, Namibia and Tunisia played to a 1-all stalemate in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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After winning their previous three opening games in the World Cup Qualifiers, leaders, Tunisia were hoping to extend their lead on top of the table when they faced resilient Namibia.

However, Namibia who opted for Orlando Stadium after CAF failed to certify Stadium in Namibia showed their resilience holding the Sab Saharan side to a barren stalemate and limiting them to no shot on target during the game.

The draw means that Tunisia remains on top of the table with 10 points from four games while Namibia are second with 8 points from 4 games. This is the second draw for Namibia after another draw against Liberia.

Off the back of a 3-1 win over Sao Tome, Malawi will be looking to claim another win in the competition which will be their third after another win over Liberia in their opening game.

Flames coach Patrick Mabedi says his charges are set for a first-ever encounter with Equatorial Guinea but they are aware that the hosts will be hungry for points a few days after FIFA nullified their first two wins in the campaign for fielding an ineligible player.

“We know that Equatorial Guinea is a better side than us. And now they are hungry for points after losing those six points due to the FIFA decision.

“But my boys are here on a mission to compete and get results and we are looking forward to winning this game.

“Much as we respect our opponents, we do not fear them. We have told the boys to be on top of their game and attack and not sit back defending like how most teams do when they are playing away. The six points that we have now are history and even the boys know that this is a new game and we need to concentrate without looking at how we have performed this far,” Mabedi tells FAM Media.

Captain John Banda said the players are aware of their mission in Malabo and they will try to get a positive result. “We are here for a mission. We know how good our opponents are. They have a deep and well exposed squad. But we are here to compete and get a result. We broke the jinx of failing to win in West Africa last year against Liberia and we want to continue from there.”