* As they secure back to back Beach Soccer AFCON qualification after beating Burundi 15-14 on aggregate
* We have made it to the AFCON finals and I am happy with the result but not our performance
Maravi Express
Malawi Beach Soccer national team have qualified for their second consecutive Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals after beating Burundi 15-14 on aggregate, but coach Willy Kumilambe admitted that the team has plenty of homework before the finals in Egypt later this year.
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The two teams played out a 8-all draw in the second leg of the qualifiers played at Sunbird Livingstonia Beach in Salima on Saturday afternoon, five days after Malawi claimed a vital 7-6 victory in the first leg away victory in Bujumbura, Burundi Monday last week.
A brace each for Frank Mwenelupembe, Sandram Ussi and Isaac Kajamu and a goal each for Obilen Nkhumbula and Thom Kamanga punched Malawi a ticket to the finals to be hosted by Egypt in October.
Relief was the prevalent emotion after the final whistle on the part of coach Kumilambe, who said: ’’We have made it to the Afcon finals and I am happy with the result but not our performance. We conceded cheap goals but I know the problems which will be rectified before the AFCON finals.”
Two goal scorer Kajamu said they were excited to qualify for the finals, saying: “We knew that the return leg would be tough, but we planned well for them.
“It was so intense as we tied at 8-8 for a couple of minutes and had they scored they would have carried the day. But we did not give up hope but fought on to the last whistle.”
On his part, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president, Fleetwood Haiya praised the players for a hard fought victory, saying: “We are very happy that we have done a good job. Today is a day for celebration and we are going to motivate the boys.
’’We are going to government to deliver a message that we have qualified for the AFCON finals and we believe the qualification will motivate government to support us,” he said.
During the 2022 qualifiers, the team edged out Tanzania in the qualifiers on away goal rule after 8-8 on aggregate after Malawi beat Tanzania 3-2 in Salima before losing 5-6 in the second leg.
At the AFCON finals, Malawi finished sixth after a heart-breaking loss to Uganda on post-match penalties in the 5th and 6th place play-off match. In the group stage, Malawi lost 4-2 to Mozambique in the AFCON opener before a 7-3 defeat to Morocco.
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Meanwhile, Mauritania has made history by qualifying for their first-ever Beach Soccer AFCON, joining seven others — the hosts, Egypt; Malawi; Ghana; Morocco; Mozambique and Senegal
The Mauritanians sealed their place in dramatic fashion on Sunday, eliminating two-time champions Nigeria on away goals after a thrilling 6-5 victory in the second leg of their qualifier.
The result marks a significant shift in the landscape of African beach soccer, with Nigeria now missing out on their third consecutive tournament.
The Super Sand Eagles, who won the competition in 2007 and 2009, had seemed on course for qualification after a 5-4 away win in the first leg.
However, Mauritania’s resilience and determination saw them overturn the deficit in a match that will long be remembered in the annals of their footballing history.
While Mauritania’s qualification has stolen the headlines, defending champions Senegal once again demonstrated their dominance in the discipline.
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The Lions of Teranga, seeking their eighth continental title, cruised past Guinea with a comfortable 5-1 victory in the second leg, following a 9-3 win in the first encounter.
The cumulative 14-4 scoreline underlines Senegal’s status as one of the favourites heading into the tournament.
In other qualifying matches, Ghana secured their return to the competition after a two-edition absence by defeating Côte d’Ivoire 5-2 in Abidjan, securing a 10-5 aggregate win.
The Black Sharks’ comeback was particularly impressive, having trailed 2-1 at the end of the first period before dominating the latter stages of the match.
Mozambique comfortably dispatched Seychelles with a 9-4 aggregate victory while Morocco benefited from Angola’s withdrawal to qualify automatically, as did Tanzania following Uganda’s forfeit after the former won the first leg 6-1.—Reporting by Fam.mw & CAFonline; editing by Maravi Express
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