A win for the Flames in their final group game against Senegal will automatically send them through to the next round
Malawi were in all flames as they came from behind to beat the warriors of Zimbabwe 2-1 last Friday, January 14 at the Kouekong Omnisports Stadium in Bafoussam.
Ismael Wadi had put the warriors in front with just eight minutes left in the first half, but a Gabadinho Mhango’s second half brace secured his country’s second ever win at the AFCON.
For the Flames of Malawi, their win against Zimbabwe last Friday, means they now stand a chance of progressing to the round of 16, as one of the four best thirds. But they would need at least a draw against Senegal, to keep those hopes alive. Coach, Mario Marinca and his boys have already equaled Malawi’s best ever AFCON performance, when they defeated Algeria in the 2010 edition in Angola, which until Friday, was their only ever win at the AFCON. Going through to the next stage of the competition, will see them writing their names in the history books of Malawian football.
Guinea and Zimbabwe game will take place in Yaounde. The warriors of Zimbabwe are already eliminated from the competition given their two straight defeats, and now only have the Nation’s pride to play for. Just like Senegal, the Syli National of Guinea, are eying the top spot in group B, which will put them in an advantage position going into the next round of the tournament.
Tuesday’s game will be the first ever AFCON final phase meeting between Guinea and Zimbabwe. The last time the two sides met, was in the qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Both sides played a one all tie in the away game in Harare, with Knowledge Musona and Idrissa Sylla on the score sheet. Guinea went on to win the return game in Conakry, one nil. Generally, both Nations have played each other 11 times in all competitions, with Guinea winning five, two victories for Zimbabwe and four draws. Both the Senegal versus Malawi, and the Guinea versus Zimbabwe games, will kick off simultaneously Tuesday, at 5p.m.
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‘I Hope We Put Same Effort In Our Next Game’-Gabadinho Mhango, Man of the Match
"We are excited for the victory and personally I feel honoured to be named man of the match. It was not an easy game given that Zimbabwe have been a very good side. This has been a very exciting tournament so far and performing well at such a stage is both fulfilling and exciting and I want to thank my team mates for the hard work we have all been putting in to get the win. I hope we put in the same effort in our next game and we will be through to the next round.
‘We Didn’t Manage The Game Well’-Norman Mapeza, Coach, Zimbabwe
We didn’t manage our game well today and lost a lot of cheap balls and gave away two easy goals. We came in with a good game plan but the players never followed the instructions to the latter. I feel disappointed but we have drawn the lessons and we have also got positives from the game against Malawi and also Senegal. We will go back to the drawing board and work for our next game which is a formality but we would be glad to get a positive result against Guinea and go home with a consolation
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