Flames Trounce Burkina Faso 3-0 in Final AFCON Qualifier
The 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament, featuring 24 nations, is scheduled for Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
LILONGWE, Malawi — Malawi's national football team, the Flames, secured their first win in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso at Bingu National Stadium on Monday, writes Happy Valirani.
The Flames displayed a markedly improved performance, controlling possession with fluid passing from defence to attack.
Gabadinho Mhango broke the deadlock in the 28th minute, with Richard Mbulu and Lloyd Aaron adding second-half goals in the 57th and 62nd minutes, respectively.
The victory comes after Malawi's goalless draw against Burundi in Ivory Coast last Thursday.
Despite the win, Malawi finished fourth in Group L with four points, level with third-placed Burundi.
Senegal and Burkina Faso have secured qualification for the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco, finishing first and second in the group, respectively.
The Flames' campaign ended with a record of one win, one draw, and four losses. Despite the brief preparation period, Flames interim coach Kalisto Pasuwa expressed satisfaction with the team's performance.
"It was a good game that we played with intensity," Pasuwa said.
"As you know, we had a few days of preparations with the boys, and we only did some movements where we wanted the boys to play, and the players responded very well. I think having more time, we will do better than this."
Burkina Faso's coach, Brama Traoré, acknowledged his team's challenges.
"It was a tough match. Last time we played in Bamako in Mali, we had some absence of players, and even here we had some absence of regular players due to injuries, which is why we had a difficult game," he said.
"Congratulations to Malawi for winning the game."
The 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament, featuring 24 nations, is scheduled for Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.