MBABANE – “The game is not yet over, until we play the second match in Eswatini.”
These were the words of Malawi national Under-23 squad Head Coach Bob Mpinganjira in a post-match interview after watching his charges go 1-0 down to Eswatini. This was during the first leg of the 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers played at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi, on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
The qualifiers also serve as a pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28), scheduled to take place from July 14 to July 30, 2028. The tournament’s decisive final stages will culminate when Egypt hosts the 2027 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations in November 2027, where the ultimate continental spots for the Olympic Games will be secured.
It was Moneni Pirates promising star Sibonelo ‘Mzala’ Vilakati who broke Malawian hearts on their own turf with a stunner from outside the box, benefiting from a well-weighted pass from Njabulo Gama, who was fresh from representing the country in the Under-20 TotalEnergies AFCON qualifiers under the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) hosted by Mozambique.
Mpinganjira said they will go back to the drawing board to rectify the mistakes they made in the first match ahead of the second leg, to be played at Somhlolo National Stadium on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
“The game is not yet over, until we play the second match in Eswatini,” Mpinganjira reiterated.
He highlighted that his team was a bit apprehensive at first, but they encouraged the players by telling them they could do better in the return fixture against Eswatini.
“We had about four days of training with the boys from the Under-20 and some from the senior team after we had passport challenges with other players from our initial squad,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eswatini Assistant Coach Musa Manyatsi said they are delighted with the away win.
“We knew that the Malawi senior team was doing well, so we prepared around that. We are happy that we were spot on in our preparations,” Manyatsi said.
He stated that going into the next match they will give Malawi the necessary respect as a side, but they will not allow them to score.
The aggregate winner of this tie will advance to face Algeria in the second round of the preliminary matches.
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