WAFCON (Q): Malawi coach Fazili promises victory over Angola

Malawi women’s football team coach Lovemore Fazili has made a big promise to home fans going into the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final qualifying match against Angola in Lilongwe on Tuesday.

The two teams have all to play for in the second leg match at Bingu National Stadium. They played out to a barren draw in the first leg last Thursday at November 11 Stadium in Luanda.

Ahead of the reverse fixture, Fazili vowed to make amends for the missed first leg opportunity they had to win the match and finish the job at home.

“The team is ready to play the game. We have addressed the areas where we felt we went wrong in the first leg,” the coach told Malawi FA’s media.

“Whatever we lacked in Angola, we are going to do better in the second leg. I have confidence in the first XI. So far, so good. We have a plan and we will do it.”

Malawi coach Fazili on cusp of more history

Fazili, who earned Malawi their first ever COSAFA Championship title in 2023, is bidding to become the first to earn the Scorchers the WAFCON ticket. The coach, however, admitted that the Angolans are not pushovers.

“First of all, Angola is not a bad team. When we went to Angola, we thought it would be the same team that played against Zimbabwe, but we managed them,” the Silver Strikers legend explained.

“We were on top of the game and we could have won it, but it was not to be. However, I can assure you that this is a must-win for us. The game depends on us and I promise a win.”

The Malawi coach added: “We are prepared as we did in the first leg. The first game gave us a lot of things to correct. We will play according to our strength. We are in the last stage of the qualification phase and the possibility is very high. The game is going to be on our side, and we will make Malawians happy.”

In the first leg, Malawi fielded a strong line-up, with Tabitha Chawinga leading the frontline in the absence of her injured sister Temwa.

The Lyon ladies star had decent scoring opportunities in either half but she could not locate the target, leaving the tie delicately balanced. In the opposite camp, Brazil-based striker Patricia Seteco spearheaded the attack of Angola’s squad.

More will be expected from the two stars when they lead their respective teams. Angola can book a ticket to the WAFCON finals with any scoring draw, whereas Malawi must win by any margin to sail through.

The Scorchers have never been to the continental finals, and if they do, it would be a big reward for the golden generation of stars such as the Chawingas.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.