Valentine’s gift

Malawi Under-20 Women’s National Football Team yesterday delivered the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to the nation with a scintillating 5-1 demolition of Guinea-Bissau at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe. The victory means they have sealed passage to the final qualifying round of the 2026 Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup. With love in the air and expectations high, the young Scorchers turned on the style and passion at home, overwhelming their West African opponents in a performance that will be remembered for its flair, ruthlessness and sheer determination.

After a nervy 1-1 draw in the first leg in Bissau, Malawi needed a statement win and they delivered it in emphatic fashion. Guinea-Bissau briefly threatened to spoil the romantic script when Lamarana Bari struck just two minutes into the match, silencing the home crowd. But it took Malawi just three minutes to level through Alinafe Milanzi.

Just nine minutes into the second-half, Victoria Mkwala put Malawi ahead with a screamer. From then on it was one way traffic as Malawi cheered by the home fans, tore the visitors apart. Fatima Lali added the third in the 73rd minute and few minutes later Mayamiko Mkandawire made it 4-1.

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Lali completed the annihilation with a goal in the added on time. Chombo Sadiki praised his girls for a good response. “We thank God for the victory.

I also thank the girls for responding well from 1-0 down to 5-1. In the first-half, we were rushing on the ball which resulted in losing possession. At half-time I told the girls to be calm on the ball and to pass the ball around.

They responded well and we won,” she said. Guinea Bissau coach João Domingo Loa Nafarcha admitted playing second fiddle and described the result as fair. “We encountered a well prepared team.

But we wasted a lot of chances in the first-half. Malawi took theirs in the second-half. So it is a fair result,” he said.

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