“They wanted it more than us, it will affect us mentally” Pasuwa reacts to defeat to São Tomé

Malawi National Team Head Coach Kalisto Pasuwa has candidly accepted that his side was outplayed in their shocking 1-0 defeat to 195th-ranked São Tomé in their final 2026 World Cup Qualifier in Tunisia.

The Flames suffered an embarrassing loss to a team that had lost nine consecutive matches in the competition and conceded 26 goals. A second-half penalty, awarded after Gomezgani Chirwa fouled a striker in the box, proved to be the difference.

Despite attempts to mount a comeback, Malawi couldn’t find the equalizer against opponents who entered the match on the back of a 6-0 thrashing by Tunisia.

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“They Wanted It More”

In his post-match interview, Pasuwa admitted his team’s lackluster performance and credited São Tomé’s determination.

“Our opponents lost 6-0 in their last game against Tunisia. We didn’t play a game, and if you saw the way we played today, our opponents wanted it more than us in terms of points and even the way they played,” Pasuwa said.

The coach highlighted São Tomé’s direct approach, which caught Malawi off guard. “They were hitting route one football and using the second balls effectively. We had our chances but couldn’t convert them. They had one chance, got into the box, and won a penalty. It’s part of the game, but we need to correct ourselves.”

Pasuwa acknowledged that his team struggled to break down São Tomé’s defensive setup despite having numerical advantages in attack.

“You saw the way they played—nine men behind the ball. We were failing to unlock them and get into the last line. We had numbers, we had players who could exploit spaces. We had five guys attacking the last line and players dropping deep to receive the ball, but we were not patient enough.”

The coach lamented his team’s decision-making in possession. “Every time we got the ball, we wanted to hit long balls to Babatunde and Richard Mbulu, but they were winning everything in the air. When we tried playing from the back, we weren’t breaking the lines.”

“Missed Opportunities”

Despite fielding creative players like Lloyd Aaron and Njaliwa, who operated as a box-to-box midfielder, Malawi failed to capitalize on counter-attacking opportunities.

“We had the right personnel to do the right job,” Pasuwa explained. “You saw Lloyd Aaron’s performance and Njaliwa playing as a number 8, going up and down. We had numbers, but when we needed to catch them on the break, we were passing sideways, allowing them to recover. We wanted to hit them in the spaces they left at the back when attacking, but it didn’t happen.”

Mental Impact

The coach expressed concern about the psychological effect of the defeat, particularly as Malawi looks ahead to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

“It’s very unfortunate that we lost this game. We wanted to finish on a high note, but we ended up losing to São Tomé, a team behind us in world rankings. This is a factor that will affect us mentally,” Pasuwa admitted.

“If we had finished well, we would have seen the direction we’re taking going forward as we prepare for the 2027 AFCON campaign.”

The defeat marks a disappointing end to Malawi’s World Cup qualifying campaign and raises questions about the team’s readiness for upcoming continental competitions.