U-20 keen to end five-game winless run

The Malawi Under-20 national football team left for Angola yesterday with a mission to end their five-game winless run in competitive matches.

They face their hosts in a return leg of the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) Under-20 qualifier this Sunday.

Since December 2017, the Junior Flames have drawn four games Council for Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Championship and Afcon qualifiers before losing their last match 1-2 against Angola in the Afcon first-leg at the Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe last weekend. In the last five matches, they scored three goals and conceded four.

To progress to the second round, the Under-20 national team banked on an away goal rule following a one-all draw in Swaziland in the first-round’s reverse match after a goalless draw at home.

The Junior Flames need to win by two goals in their latest fixture to progress to the third-round of Afcon, where they will take on the winner between hosts South Africa and Mozambique in the other second-round reverse match. The two sides settled for a one-all draw in the first leg.

“We are going to Angola with one thing in our mind; scoring as many goals as possible because we know a win by two goals would take us through to the next round, which is just a step away from the Afcon finals in Niger,” said Junior Flames coach Meke Mwase.

He attributed his side’s lack of fire-power to a defensive mentality in the previous matches.

“This time around, we will go flat out on the attack because we need goals at all cost to make the third-round grade and I am confident my charges will deliver,” he said.

The Junior Flames’ technical panel has maintained the squad that was given the first-leg assignment against Angola.

The 20-player squad, which will be accompanied by Flames head coach Ronny Van Geneugden (RVG), Mwase, Under-20 assistant coach Lovemore Fazili, goalkeeper trainer Sbusiso Padambo, team doctor Victor Jobo, Physiotherapist Chikondi Mandalasi , team manager Aubrey Nankhuni and leader of delegation Daudi Mtanthiko, is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Hastings Banda and Charles Thom; Defenders: Charles Petro, Hadji Wali, Kelvin Kadzinje, Josephy Balakasi, Maxwell Paipi, Timothy Siliwimba and Innocent Shema;

Midfielders: Francisco Madinga, Chinsinsi Maonga, Auspicious Kadzongola, David Daudi, Franklin Titani, Frank Chizuze and Patrick Mwaungulu;

Strikers: Chikondi Mbeta, Levison Gopani, Tony Biyasi and Peter Banda. n