They will never want to remember this day, and this match, ever again — it is a day they will always forget to remember.
The lion-hearted Malawi Under-17 National Team has bowed out of the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations and COSAFA Qualifiers after a resounding 4-1 defeat to the junior Bafana Bafana of South Africa in a thrilling final Group B match played on Tuesday afternoon at Ngoni Stadium in Norton, Zimbabwe.
The Malawian players failed to put their best foot forward. South Africa did.
Despite putting up a gallant fight in the competition and finishing the group stage with six points, the result meant the Enos Chatama Boys could not progress to the semifinals.
The junior Bafana Bafana warriors of South Africa showed resilience and their intent early, with Inganathi Simama scoring twice in the 24th and 63rd minutes respectively.
Mpho Molepo struck in the 50th before Ntokozo Madongo sealed the victory in stoppage time.
Malawi Under 17’s consolation came in the 82nd minute through a towering header from Eli Randles.
Head Coach Enos Chatama admitted that the defeat was down to lack of composure and squad depth: “We lost because of depth and lack of mental intelligence from our boys.
“We failed to contain South Africa and gave them too much respect which resulted in conceding easy goals,” said Chatama.
Looking ahead, Chatama said the competition has provided valuable lessons for the future of Malawian football.
“This is a lesson for Malawi. We need to learn from these mistakes and build a strong foundation. Not all is lost — the future looks promising,” he added.
The semifinals will now feature Angola, South Africa, Comoros, and Zambia after the conclusion of the group stages.
Lineup: Jacob Banda, Tadala Mughogho, Hastings Makwenda, Francis Alfanzema, Joel Maziya (Gerald phiri 72′) , Moffat Mnyontho, Joel Yakobe, Shabani Daudi (Eli Randles 64′, Faizal Mangulenje , Okester Kanyenda (Owen Kamwiyo), James Lumbe
Unused subs : Chisomo Mdoka, Opex Kantuwanje, Luka Ligomeka,Zaithwa wedson,Vincent Thomson.
“This is a lesson for Malawi.”
Enos Chatama Malawi
Under-17 National Team head Coach
