From refugee camp to national hero: Pasuwa praises Malango’s progress in Malawi’s win over Lesotho

In the 26th minute at Toyota Stadium, a ball floated across Lesotho’s penalty area. Mayele Malango ghosted into the box, met Lloyd Aaron’s cross with perfect timing, and guided it home. The goal was simple, clean, decisive. But its meaning stretched far beyond the scoreline.

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For Malawi, it ended 16 years of frustration against Lesotho — a drought that had seen the Flames stumble through draws and narrow escapes since their last victory in 2009. For Malango, it was his first goal for the national team, scored in his first start, written into history by a player who learned the game on the dusty grounds of Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

The boy who once chased a ball barefoot among friends and brothers, whose parents fled civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo seeking safety in Malawi, has become one of the most compelling stories in the Flames setup. And according to head coach Kalisto Pasuwa, he’s only getting started.

When Malango first joined the Flames for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Namibia and Liberia in September, his talent was evident but his limitation was glaring. The Monterey Bay FC striker, playing professionally in the United States, could barely last 20 minutes before fading from matches.

He featured briefly in both qualifiers, providing a promising assist to Gabadinho Mhango in the 2-2 draw against Liberia. But his endurance raised questions about whether he could sustain the physical demands of international football.

Everything changed in Bloemfontein.

During the friendly double-header against Lesotho on November 15 and 18, Malango showed remarkable transformation. The first match ended goalless, but in the second game — his first start for the Flames — he not only scored the winning goal but lasted over 60 minutes on the pitch.

Pasuwa could not hide his delight.

“He played very well as a striker,” the coach said. “The problem I was having with him is that he could only play for 20 minutes and get tired, but today he played over 60 minutes. He has improved from the previous matches he has played.”

For a coach who has been searching for fresh attacking blood and intentionally integrating diaspora players into the squad, finally seeing Malango stay on the pitch with strength and intelligence was vindication of that strategy.

Malango’s journey to that moment in Bloemfontein has been stitched together by resilience and relentless determination. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he arrived in Malawi as a child when his parents fled civil unrest. At Dzaleka Refugee Camp, football became more than recreation — it was hope, escape, and dream-building all rolled into one.

When his family eventually relocated to the United States, Malango began climbing the professional ladder step by methodical step. He started at Boston Bolts in USL League Two in 2018 and 2019, learning the American game’s physicality and pace. In 2020, he moved to New England Revolution II, gaining exposure to a higher level of competition.

The journey continued through New Amsterdam FC in 2021, then Albion San Diego a year later. At Chattanooga Red Wolves, he found his scoring touch, netting three goals and providing one assist before earning a contract extension. Each move toughened him, sharpened his instincts, and shaped a player who understood what it meant to prove yourself again and again.

His current contract with Monterey Bay expires on November 30, but his football story appears to be moving into its brightest phase.

Malango’s story resonates because it embodies something larger than individual achievement. He represents the diaspora players who carry Malawi in their hearts even after years away. He symbolizes the refugee experience — displacement, adaptation, and ultimate triumph. And he offers proof that talent can emerge from the most unlikely places if given opportunity and support.

The goal against Lesotho carried extra weight for another reason: Malango was only 12 years old the last time Malawi had beaten Likuena in 2009. He has now ended a drought that lasted his entire adolescence and young adulthood, a drought that many Malawian football fans had begun to see as a curse.

That the breakthrough came from a player born in Congo, raised in a refugee camp in Malawi, and professionally developed in America speaks to the increasingly global nature of the Flames — and to Pasuwa’s vision for the team.

Malango’s improvement in match fitness gives Pasuwa a new dimension in attack. His courage, technical quality, and hunger forged through years of proving himself add depth to a Flames squad preparing for crucial World Cup qualifiers ahead.

The question now is whether he can maintain this upward trajectory. Can the player who went from 20 minutes to 60 minutes eventually become a 90-minute warrior? Can the goal-scorer who broke a 16-year drought become a consistent threat in Malawi’s attack?

If his journey so far is any indication — from Dzaleka’s dust to American professional leagues to that decisive moment in Bloemfontein — betting against Mayele Malango would be unwise.

He has already rewritten history once. For a player who has spent his life proving doubters wrong, doing it again might just be part of the script.