* This is after Malawi were beaten 1-0 by Lesotho earlier in the afternoon, and puts the Flames at the bottom of the four-team Group B
* From which only one winner proceeded to the semifinals after three games whose Malawi’s second match is against Namibia on Sunday and Angola on Tuesday
Maravi Express
Defending champions Angola got their COSAFA Cup title campaign off to not so steady start after a 1-1 draw with Namibia in their Group B clash at the Toyota Stadium in Mangaung, Bloemfontein in South Africa this evening.
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This is after Malawi were beaten 1-0 by Lesotho earlier in the afternoon, and puts the Flames at the bottom of the four-team Group B from which only one winner proceeded to the semifinals.
Last year’s Golden Boot recipient Depu netted what he thought would be the winner from the penalty-spot on 90 minutes after the video assistant referee (VAR) confirmed the award of the spot-kick for a foul late in the game. Depu is now Angola’s all-time leading scorer in the COSAFA Cup with six goals.
But Namibia would not be denied a point and Ivan Kamberipa rose high to head into the back of the net seven minutes into injury-time at the end of the game to rescue a point for his side.
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The draw may be a good point for Palancas Negras in the end after they were reduced to 10 men following a red card for Randy Nteka just past the hour-mark — another decision confirmed by the VAR.
It is the latest battle between these two sides after they played to a 0-0 draw in their opening pool game last year, before Angola beat Namibia 5-0 in last year’s decider.
In the earlier game, Lesotho got their campaign off to a fantastic start with the 1-0 victory over Malawi in a tight contest between the teams with few chances at either end — with the winning goal came seven minutes from the end with a fine finish.
Makara Ntaitsane latched onto a flicked-on long ball and took a touch before firing the ball into the roof of the net. But there was a VAR check for offside, but the goal was awarded, sparking jubilant scenes on the Lesotho bench.
VAR check
Malawi and Lesotho have been involved in six matches with Lesotho now leading the head-to-head record 3-2.
The result has put the Flames in a difficult situation as the other two opponents are quite stronger than Lesotho as they next meet Namibia on Sunday, June 8 with the final Group B clash against the defending champions Angola scheduled for Tuesday, June 10.
The defeat comes hot on the heels of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2025 qualifiers lost to South Africa at 2-1 on aggregate after the Flames had won 1-0 at home only to lose 2-0 away.
Meanwhile, in Group A matches played yesterday, Mozambique defeated hosts South Africa 1-0, while Mauritius held Zimbabwe to a 0-0 draw at the same Toyota Stadium.
Mozambique celebrate
There is just a single game in the three-team Group D tomorrow when Zambia tackle Comoros at 18h00 CAT and the other group contender are Botswana.
Zambia are seven-time champions of the COSAFA Cup but lost all three group games last year in a shock failure while Comoros, on the other hand, had their best finish as they ended fourth after a first-ever appearance in the semifinals.
It is the second year in a row they meet in the group stages, with Comoros claiming a 1-0 victory in 2024.
Guest nation, Tanzania are in Group C alongside Madagascar and eSwatini and this is an opportunity for East African country to fine tune themselves ahead of the CHAN 2025 finals which they will co-host alongside Kenya and Uganda in August — to be joined there by COSAFA sides, South Africa, Angola, Madagascar and Zambia.
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The COSAFA Cup 2025 is also more than just a regional tournament — it’s a crucial preparation platform for eight teams heading to the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 — Angola, Botswana, Comoros, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
The teams will be aiming to strategically using this competition to refine their tactics, assess squad depth, and build momentum AfCON Morocco 2025 finals.
Of the seven COSAFA nations that have qualified for the AfCON finals, only South Africa (1996) and Zambia (2012) have lifted the continental crown.—Content by COSAFA Media; edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
