Goalkeeper Brighton Munthali was red carded in the 16th minute
* Burkina Faso lead Group L on goals scored as they tie on 7 points with Senegal
* The Flames at the bottom without a point from 3 matches as Burundi are on 3rd position with 3 points earned after beating the Flames
Maravi Express
With three matches left to wind up the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers, Malawi Flames might as well consider themselves out of contention after being whipped 0-4 by Senegal last night away in Dakar.
Burkina Faso came from behind to beat Burundi 4-1 to take the lead of Group L through goals scored as they tie on 7 points with Senegal while the Flames at the bottom without a point from 3 matches as Burundi are on 3rd position with 3 points earned after beating the Flames.
The Flames will host Senegal on Tuesday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe and thereafter they will be hosted by Burundi for the return match before winding up the campaign at home against Burkina Faso between November 11-19.
Two top teams in the group will qualify for the AfCON Morocco 2025 next year, to be played be played from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026 — as opposed to the usual period of January-February.
A report filed on Fam.mw indicates that coach Patrick Mabedi started with Brighton Munthali in goals; Chawanangwa Kaonga (who was replaced by Chimwemwe Idana in the 46th); Dennis Chembezi; Lloyd Njaliwa (Zeliat Nkhoma 77’); John Banda; Lanjesi Nkhoma (Yamikani Chester 59’); Nixon Mwase; Patrick Mwaungulu (George Chikooka 19’), Stanly Sanudi; Timothy Silwimba and Wisodm Mpingangira.
The report says the Flames played for over 75 minutes with 10 men following the early dismissal of goalkeeper Brighton Munthali after a foul on Sadio Mane in a one-on-one situation towards the goal in the 16th minute.
Mabedi sacrificed midfielder Patrick Mwaungulu to replace Brighton Munthali with George Chikooka.
Pape Guèye opened the scoring for Senegal in the 35th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box, and the Lions never looked back as Sadio Mané increased the lead in the 69th minute — his 45th goal for Senegal.
Two minutes later Boulaya Dia scored the third before Nicolas Jackson rounded off the rout of the Flames in the 77th minute, netting his first goal for the national team after 17 caps.
In Abidjan, Burkina Faso, who also whipped Malawi 3-1, shrugged off an early deficit to secure the commanding 4-1 victory over Burundi with two goals from Dango Ouattara, followed by a debut strike from Sacha Banse and a final goal from Issoufou Dayo.
Meanwhile, in other matches reported by CAFonline, Côte d’Ivoire reinforced their dominance in the AfCON Morocco 2025 qualifiers with a commanding 4-1 victory over Sierra Leone also played on Friday.
The Elephants, who entered the match with two wins from two, took an early lead through Nicolas Pépé in the second minute at the Laurent Pokou Stadium. However, Sierra Leone responded before half-time with a goal from Alhassan Koroma to level the match.
The Ivorians regained control in the second half when Franck Kessié restored their lead with a 51st-minute strike, assisted by Séko Fofana before Kessié doubled his tally in the 75th minute while Oumar Diakité sealed the win with a late penalty, keeping Côte d’Ivoire on top of Group G with maximum nine points — bringing them one step closer to qualification for the tournament in Morocco.
Elsewhere, Comoros pulled off a stunning upset with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia at the Rades Olympic Stadium, Tunisia’s home turf where they were expected to secure an easy win.
Ahead of the match, they had won their first two matches but struggled to break down Comoros’ solid defence and despite enjoying over 70% possession and multiple shots on goal, Tunisia couldn’t find the net.
The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute when Rafiki Said scored for Comoros with a right-footed strike — handing Tunisia their first home defeat in over a decade during an AfCON qualifying campaign, while Comoros recorded their first win of the qualifiers.
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The Gambia managed to secure a crucial away point when they shared the spoils after a 1-1 draw with Madagascar — a result that still puts them within a touching distance of run-away Group A leaders, Tunisia who lead the pack with four points.
At Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, Port Elizabeth, Teboho Mokoena was the star of the show as the South African anchor scored a brace to contribute to a clinical 5-0 win over Congo.
The Group K clash saw Bafana Bafana play host the Congo side that was desperate for a result, but was met by a ruthless host that was clinical in front of goal.
Mokoena opened the scoring with a clean header in the in 12th minute before a thunderbolt strike from the edge of the box to complete his brace.
His Mamelodi Sundowns teammate, Bathusi Aubaas made it three just before the break to put the match beyond reach for the visitors and coming back from the break, the hosts continued to dominate proceedings and were duly rewarded in the 52nd minute when Lyle Foster found the fourth.
Iqraam Rayners sealed the historic victory for the former champions with an easy tap in following a blunder by the keeper to make it five with no response from Congo.
The result sees the South Africans tied on points with Uganda as the race for a top finish intensifies in Group K.
Teboho Mokoena
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon roared to the top of Group J after a commanding 4-1 victory over Kenya saw them go two points above Zimbabwe who overcame Namibia on Thursday.
Veteran goal poacher, Vincent Aboubakar opened the floodgates in the 8th minute with a converted penalty before Martin Hongla, Byan Mbeumo as well as Christian Bassogog completed the rout.
In Uyo, the Super Eagles left it till late to secure a full haul of points after being held by Libya throughout the match before Fisayo Dele-Bashiru eventually found the all-important winner to secure the victory for the 2013 African champions.
The result sees Nigeria lead Group D with a point ahead of Benin who demolished Rwanda 3-0 in a simultaneous match thanks to goals by Steve Mounie, Andreas Hountondji as well as Hassane Imourane.
Scorer for Egypt, Trézéguet
In Cairo, the Pharaohs of Egypt continued their dominance of Group C when they comfortably cruised past Mauritania by 2-0 through goals from Trézéguet as well as from the ever-green Mohamed Salah, that ensured the record African champions continue their winning streak.
The Ugandan Cranes continue in their fine form as they laboured to a 1-0 victory over South Sudan. The result puts them in a good position as they battle for the top spot with South Africa who play host to Congo.
Mali secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau, with El Bilal Touré scoring the only goal in the 62nd minute. The Eagles struggled to break down their opponents, but the result keeps them in strong contention in their qualifying group.
Angola secured a 2-0 win over Niger, with both goals coming in the second half as Mabululu converted a penalty in the 75th minute, while Milson added a second goal 10 minutes later to seal the victory.
Despite Niger’s efforts, they were unable to threaten Angola’s defence, leaving Angola in a strong position in their qualifying group.—Content and pictures by Fam.mw & CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express
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