So near, yet so far for Flames

The fundamental questions which FAM president Walter Nyamilandu failed to answer on whether there was a guarantee for funds to back the association’s dream for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals came back to haunt the Flames and crash the very dream.

Inside the Chiwembe Technical Centre in March 2014 banking on hope alone, Nyamilandu charged the recalled coach Young Chimodzi and his assistant Jack Chamangwana, who had served under Kinnah Phiri between 2008 and 2012 as deputy and technical director, to steer the team to the 2015 Afcon.

Chimodzi inherited a wreckage of a team dumped for six months of inactivity after a failed 2014 World Cup qualification bid that ended with a 2-0 loss in Calabar, Nigeria in September 2013 to mark the exit of freelance Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet.

The Flames had made the most of a fluke to make the cut for 2010 Afcon finals, so you can understand why Nyamilandu nursed the hangover of that qualification which was the first in 26 years.

The gentleman that Chimodzi is, he never shied away from responsibility, admitting that “looking at the manner we left the last time, we had to think twice when FAM approached us, but eventually had to accept as this is our country.”

So, with neither readily available funds nor guarantee from main sponsors the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, the Flames set off on a journey to the unknown. A 4-1 hammering by Zimbabwe in a warm-up match provided a glimpse of the mountain ahead.

The result proved to be the template of how the Flames were to struggle in the Afcon race as goals were far and few with Atusaye Nyondo and Frank Gabadinho Mhango scoring once in a while.

At the other end, the defence leaked the goals recklessly and by the time it became water tight, it was too late to secure the Afcon ticket. Esau Kanyenda and Fischer Kondowe were, due to public demand, recalled in the last two most convincing 2-0 win over Mali and an away 0-0 draw in Ethiopia in November, but it was too little and too late.

Malawi’s failure to avoid home defeats proved to be their biggest undoing as they finished Group B on seven points with Mali and Algeria qualifying on 15 and nine points respectively. During the year, the Flames played 15 games and failed to win away with the best result being a draw.

Under Chimodzi in these 15 games, Malawi won four games, drew thrice and lost the rest of the matches.

Before embarking on the 2015 Afcon campaign, the Flames also tuned up Tanzania with the game ending 1-1. A month later, the Taifa Stars won 1-0 in yet another friendly match. It was now time for the competitive matches that saw the Flames beat Chad 2-0 at Kamuzu Stadium through Gabadinho’s double in the first round, first leg of the qualifiers mid May.

However, the away struggles reared their ugly head to haunt the Flames in the reverse leg in Chad where Malawi lost 3-1 with Robin Ngalande’s consolation on May 31 2014. That solitary strike proved crucial to take Malawi to the next qualifying round where Benin lay in wait.

The first leg was away in Benin where Stephane Sessegnon punished defensive Flames 1-0 mid July. Malawi lost despite deploying five defenders, including returning James Sangala, who had retired from retirement.

Going into the return leg at the Kamuzu Stadium, Flames had exhausted options — they just had to win at all cost if they were to progress in the Afcon race. Thanks, John Banda stabbed the lone goal after break to take proceedings into dreaded post-match penalties, which Malawi won 5-3 with McDonald Harawa stopping two shots, including from Sessegnon.

With that post-match penalty win, Malawi were once again off the hook into the group stages where the start was a disastrous 2-0 loss in Mali followed by a 3-2 Nyondo-inspired win over Ethiopia to revive the hope.

However, bad got worse for the Flames as they crumbled to a 2-0 home loss to leaders Algeria who completed a double with a 3-0 home win in the return leg.

Afcon dream over? No, the Flames, with Chimodzi swallowing his pride to recall veterans Kondowe and Kanyenda, showed some late character to beat fancied Mali 2-0 and erase some gloom caused by funding hitches that had Malawi nearly pulling out of the Afcon campaign.

Robert Ng’ambi and Kanyenda scored leaving the Flames, on six points, needing a win at all cost in Ethiopia while hoping that Mali, also on six points and a superior goal aggregate, should lose to visiting Algeria.

In Bamako, Mali did themselves a favour to hand Algeria their first 2-0 defeat and seal a place at Afcon. It was a bitter end to a campaign in which the Flames twice nearly pulled it off and the failed bid was a mere justice to what was a so-near- year- so far campaign.