COSAFA Cup: Mponda admits Malawi Flames semi-final chances slim

Photo Credit: COSAFA media.

Malawi senior national football team assistant coach Peter Mponda has admitted that the Flames’ chances of reaching the COSAFA Cup semifinals are slim.

Head coach Kalisto Pasuwa’s assistant was reflecting on the goalless draw with Namibia’s Brave Warriors in a Group B game played on Sunday in South Africa.

"We have slim hopes of qualifying. We need to win our last group match and see what happens in the other group games, but I am encouraged by the boys,’ the assistant coach told COSAFA media."

Mponda said the Flames did all they could to win the match at Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein, but they couldn’t find a way to score.

"Only the scoreline says 0-0, but today we played good football. We created several chances and showed a reaction to the Lesotho game, where we had complained about not creating chances or getting into the box," he added.

The Brave Warriors’ solid defending and the Flames’ poor finishing resulted in a draw, leaving both teams’ semifinal hopes hanging by a thread.

Malawi, who started the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Lesotho, have one point; Namibia have two, while Likuena and Angola have three and four points, respectively.

The Flames’ final group match is against Angola, while Namibia face Lesotho on June 10, 2025.