Malawi Under-17 national team midfielder James Lumbe scored twice to claim his second man-of-the-match award as he inspired the team to a comeback 2-1 victory over Zambia at Hearts Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe on Sunday afternoon.
The Junior Flames faced the defending champions, who were seeking their first win in the tournament to stay in contention for progression to the semi-finals. However, Malawi handed them their second defeat, knocking them out of the CAF African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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Malawi desperately needed the win following South Africa’s 5-1 victory over Madagascar, which added to their earlier 4-0 win over Zambia in their first match. This left Malawi trailing the group leaders only on goal difference.
The Zambians started strongly, dominating the Malawians and deservedly taking the lead in the 20th minute when Albert Khunga headed the ball into the net following a goalkeeper error.
The Junior Flames found themselves level 10 minutes later when Joel Yakobe picked out James Lumbe, whose powerful shot could not be stopped by Zambia’s goalkeeper. VAR then intervened to award Malawi a penalty in first-half added time following a handball in the box, and Lumbe slotted it home to complete the comeback.
The second half tested the Junior Flames’ endurance as Zambia dominated and came close on several occasions, but Malawi managed to hold firm. Despite Zambia registering nine attempts on goal with seven on target and enjoying 73 percent ball possession compared to Malawi’s five goal attempts (two on target) and 27 percent possession, the Junior Flames secured their second win of the tournament.
Head coach Enos Chatama said he was pleased with the victory against tough opposition.
“We played a tough team that played the ball directly from their defense to our defense – they eliminated the midfield. But my boys defended the high balls well, and it’s a good win for us,” said Chatama.
However, despite two wins, Chatama believes more needs to be done as his team lacks depth on the bench, limiting their tactical options due to a shortage of quality substitute players.
Malawi are second in Group B with six points, level with group leaders South Africa. However, South Africa leads with a goal difference of +8 compared to Malawi’s +3. Zambia have been eliminated from the competition, sitting third with no points, alongside Madagascar in fourth place.
The top two teams will face each other on Tuesday in their final Group B match, which will determine who progresses to the tournament semi-finals.
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