Gaba acknowledges Mwaungulu for slick assist
* Confidence-building result courtesy of tactical shrewdness of Kalisto Pasuwa, Peter Mponda and Pritchard Mwansa
* Goals from Gabadinho Mhango in 26th minute, Richard Mbulu in the 57th and Lloyd Aaron in the 61st
* A stunning performance as the Flames had endured a torrid run, failing to win any of their last 10 CAF AfCON qualifiers
By Duncan Mlanjira
Rejected by fired coach, Patrick Mabedi, South Africa-based Gabadinho Mhango proved it’s not his age or lack of form that the former mentor didn’t want him in his plans, but something else.
From the two remaining ceremonial matches of under interim head coach, Kalisto Pasuwa and his assistants, Peter Mponda and Pritchard Mwansa, Gaba displayed exceptional performance, even in the 0-0 draw against Burundi away in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Thursday.
In today’s match against Burkina Faso, who already qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 with two games in hand, the Flames dominated the game helping in their opponents to struggle in finding their rhythm — as reported by CAFonline.
Men in charge, Pasuwa and Mponda
Despite several attempts, reports CAFonline, including a late header by Issoufou Dayo, the Stallions could not capitalise on their chances and their key players such as Steeve Yago and Cédric Badolo “were unable to inspire the team, which looked uncharacteristically disjointed”.
Updates by FAM Facebook page indicate that the Flames were dominant from the start as they garnered confidence on the ball, exchanging crisp passes and maintaining good possession in the early stages of the match.
Patrick Mwaungulu was at the centre of it as in the 14th minute he delivered a beautiful cross into the box, but Richard Mbulu’s header went just wide of the target as Malawi continued to press for an opener.
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In the 17th, FAM reported that a free kick was given to Burkina Faso in a dangerous position, which Valentin Nouma sent inside the box but goalkeeper, defender Charles Petro stood firm and cleared away the danger.
Mwaungulu was back when he found the ball outside the goal area and he passed it to an unmarked Gabadinho, who turned round and fired a hard shot towards goal beating, beating the goalkeeper for Malawi’s first goal Malawi in the 26th minute.
Burkina Faso started pressing hard in search of an equalizer, but Malawi’s defense stood solid and up to the task, clearing every threat with composure and in the 42nd Ousmane Camara fired a confident shot, but Malawi goalkeeper William Thole reacted brilliantly to make a crucial save.
The Flames went into the break with a well-deserved lead but come second half the Burkinabes started on a high note, pressing hard as they searched for an equalizer but Malawi’s defense remained organised and vigilant.
This is in contrast to coach Mabedi’s choice of defence tactics, which conceded 11 goals on four matches of 2-3 loss to Burundi, 1-3 loss to Burkina Faso and back-to-back 0-4 and 0-1 against Senegal.
Then Richard Mbulu increased the lead to 2-0 after rising high and heading home a stunning cross from Lloyd Aaron in the 61st minute sending the few fans who graced the match into ecstasy as the Flames were running riot.
The Pasuwa made his first substitution in the 76th minute, bringing in Lloyd Njaliwa to replace Richard Mbulu, who left the field after a fantastic performance, including the second goal.
The coaching panel made its second substitution in the 79th — bringing in Maxwell Paipi for Yankho Singo and their last in the 87th that had Chawanangwa Kaonga coming on to replace Wisdom Mpinganjira.
CAFonline, reported that coming into the match, the Flames had endured a torrid run, failing to win any of their last 10 CAF AfCON qualifiers, “however, they stunned their opponents with a commanding display”.
“Gabadinho Mhango broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with a sensational long-range strike, giving Malawi a 1-0 lead at halftime; the second half saw Richard Mbulu double the Flames’ advantage in the 57th minute with a perfectly placed header and Lloyd Aaron sealed the emphatic victory in the 62nd minute, converting from close range after a slick team move.
“The win marked a morale-boosting end to their otherwise disappointing campaign,” said the report, adding that Burkina Faso’s defeat “exposed gaps they’ll need to address before the tournament in Morocco”.
Group leaders Senegal, unbeaten in the qualifiers, will look to maintain their perfect record when they face Burundi in the final group game tomorrow, which if they by a large margin will help the Flames end 3rd in the group.
From the win and draw with the Flames, Burundi have 4 points in which they scored 4 goals and conceded 9 while the Flames, whose underwhelming qualifying campaign has been owing to their struggles at the defensive end of the pitch, conceded 11 goals and scoring three.
After today’s win, Burundi and the Flames tie on goal difference of -5 but Burundi have an edge following their head-to-head win — but if they lose by a large margin, the Flames will take third slot.
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