Flames coach downplays Togo victory

Flames coach Ronny van Geneugden (RVG) has said he felt good to chalk his second win in nine games on Monday, but laughed off suggestions that it took some pressure off him.

The Flames stunned Togo’s Hawks in Agadir, Morocco in a friendly match.

“It gives me and the entire nation a good feeling and hope for the future, but I was not under pressure,” said a visibly delighted RVG.

“Of course, I read when the media writes ‘Ronny has won one out of eight games’ I know how to handle such situations.”

On a serious note, the coach urged Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to keep up the momentum and focus by arranging such friendly matches.

“We need such games for the players to develop a thick skin and gain confidence.

“Look, we had young players such as Dennis Chembezi and Gomezgani Chirwa defying the odds and taking a world-class player such as Emmanuel Adebayor head on.

“That is the way to go and I hope FAM will live to their word to organise friendly matches on every Fifa calendar date,” he said.

RVG said the next game is against Lesotho’s Likuena next month as he steps up his drive of building a strong national team.

“Hopefully, this is just the start and we can continue from where we left,” he said.

However, captain Limbikani Mzava said they still need to exercise caution and not be clouded by a few good results.

“Yes, a draw against an Under-23 Moroccan side that had four Europe-based players and a win over Togo which had the likes of Adebayor is quite a feat, but we are not there yet.

“There is still a long way to go and I reiterate that we still need to beef up with a few experienced players.

“We shouldn’t sit on our laurels and think that just because we have beaten Togo then we are there,” he said.

Mozambique-based forward Richard Mbulu scored the lone goal when he connected home a Gerald Phiri Jnr low cross.

But RVG feels had his charges been sharper, they could have scored more goals.

“Mbulu missed a clear chance, so did Dalitso [Sailesi] and then the referee was clearly biased towards Togo, but the players showed strong mental strength by holding on to their nerve,” he said.

The Flames are expected to leave Morocco today and arrive tomorrow.

But foreign-based players left yesterday for their respective bases in South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia.

FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda said they will wait for the technical panel’s report on the Morocco training camp and future plans will be based on the coach’s recommendation.

“FAM will do everything possible to ensure the national football team is ready for the Africa Cup of Nations [Afcon] qualifiers so that the team can qualify,” he said.

The Flames, who beat Comoros 1-0 in their opening match, are joint leaders with Cameron who also beat Morocco by the same margin.

Malawi’s next match is against Morocco in March.