Patrick Mabedi says recording a 3-1 win over Sao Tome and Principe will give the team confidence ahead of the team’s crucial encounter against Equatorial Guinea on Monday in Malabo.
The Flames moved third on the table with a convincing win over the Warriors of Equator at Bingu National Stadium, their first win since beating Ethiopia 2-1 in 2022 as Tunisia are leading the Group H of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers while Namibia are second just a point above Malawi.
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Speaking after the game, Mabedi said the win at home gives his charges the confidence going forward as the team dream of qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time in history.
“The main important thing for us is to take game by game. The win will be good for us and it’s good for us. Obviously, this win gives us confidence and everyone is motivated with this win.
“Sometimes, when you are coming from a defeat, it’s tough and I think this result will raise us and will give us confidence and will motivate us more going into the game [against Equatorial Guinea.]
Malawi kicked off the qualifiers with a record-breaking 1-0 win over Liberia in West Africa before suffering a late punch to group leaders, Tunisia at home and facing Sao Tome who are yet to win since beating Mauritius in 2022 left them with no option but claiming all the points and bring back their dreams on track.
Chawangwa Kaonga opened the scores before Lanjesi Nkhoma pounced on Chifundo Mphasi’s saved shot by curling it towards the bottom corner and Mphasi completed the win for the hosts.
However, Mabedi said he was disappointed with the goal that his players conceded in the second half but says this could be due to combinations and hopes the players to gel up in the forthcoming games.
“In my opinion, we should have scored more goals in this game because we missed more chances but credit must come to the team. We were able to move into those areas where we always have problems and I’m disappointed with the goal that we conceded. In games like these, we should keep clean sheets.
“Let’s not talk going around and round. We need to know what we want to achieve. We don’t need to put ourselves under pressure to say we need to qualify for the World Cup.
After a disappointing performance in the Four Nation Tournament, Patrick Mabedi was looking forward to bouncing back and taking the Flames back on track capitalizing on Equatorial Guinea’s points forfeiture by FIFA to be just a point behind second-placed Namibia who played a 1-all draw against Liberia on Wednesday.
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