COSAFA U-20: Hero’s welcome await Malawi – Pofera

Malawi under-20 boys’ national football team coach, Millias Pofera, says even if the COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championship ended today, his charges would receive a hero’s welcome back home for reaching the semifinals.

Speaking in a post-match conference after beating Namibia 2-0 on Tuesday, Pofera said the Young Flames deserve praise for reaching the last-four stage for the first time for a Malawi team since 2011.

“Maybe you are taking this for granted. We have stayed for 14 years without qualifying for the semifinals and this is our first time. We have broken the jinx….we know we will have a heroes’ welcome. Even if the competition were to end today, people are very happy,” he said.

“We knew Namibia are the hosts and they would have supporters in the stadium. We just prepared the players psychologically that whatever would happen, they should concentrate on the match.”

“Namibia is a very good team. They have a very good goalkeeper. I think one day I am going to take him to Malawi. I have liked him. We knew that we would meet a team that is good. There is a saying that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”

The Young Flames, needing just a draw, gave more than what was asked of them as they defeated Namibia. First, midfielder Lameck Mithi made the most of Namibia’s goalkeeper’s sloppy clearance to score into the empty net, before Clifford Chisale’s last-gasp goal confirmed the victory.

The Young Flames and Angola wound up the group assignments on seven points apiece from three games each with the former leading the pile on goal aggregate.

The rest of the semifinalists for the boys category will emerge from Wednesday’s Group B games involving Zambia, Botswana, Eswatini and South Africa.