* The defending champions now have four points after drawing 1-1 with Namibia in their first match on Thursday
* Lesotho, who finish group assignments against Namibia on Tuesday, are second with three points after beating Malawi 1-0 on Thursday
* As the Flames, without a point after first match loss to Lesotho, meet Namibia from 15h00 to be streamed live on FIFA+
By Duncan Mlanjira
COSAFA Cup defending champions, Angola have beaten Lesotho 4-0 in Group B match that kicked off at 12h00 at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium — edging closer to qualification as they now have four points after drawing 1-1 with Namibia in their first match on Thursday.
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Lesotho, who finish group assignments against Namibia on Tuesday, are second with three points after beating Malawi 1-0 on Thursday while the Flames are up against Namibia in their second COSAFA Cup 2025 Group B match this afternoon at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium — kicking off 15h00 and to be streamed live on FIFA+.
Meanwhile, assistant coach, Peter Mponda assured Malawian fans that the Flames are ready to redeem themselves when they face Namibia, the team they lost to in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers in March, insisting the players are better prepared this time around.
“We are prepared for this second game,” he is quoted as saying by Fam.mw. “We know where we failed against Lesotho. We had our video session and analysed the game thoroughly. One thing we picked up clearly was our lack of presence in the box — we simply didn’t have enough bodies there.”
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In that game, the Flames dominated possession of the ball, especially just knocking the ball amongst each other in midfield and Mponda says: “In football, dominating possession doesn’t win you games — you need to get into the box and score goals. We’ve spoken to the boys and are finalising our tactical adjustments on the pitch.”
Namibia, meanwhile, come into the clash on the back of a six-match unbeaten run, though five of those have ended in draws. Their only win in that stretch came against Malawi during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers in Lilongwe.
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Mponda admits that result still stings but: “It’s the same story even in Lilongwe — we dominated possession, and they scored.
“But we’ve taken time to analyse that game as well. Namibia are a very good team, and most of their current squad featured in that match. But we’re not using that as an excuse — we know what we’re doing, and we trust the players we brought here.”
Malawi sit 4th in Group B and a win would significantly improve their chances of progressing to the knockout stages if they would go on to beat Angola in the second match on Tuesday.
