2024 CHAN Qualifier: Malawi coach Pasuwa speaks after Comoros win

Photo Credit: Football Association of Malawi.

Malawi senior national football team coach, Kalitso Pasuwa, has described the Flames 2-0 win over Comoros on Saturday as a motivation to his rebuilding exercise.

The Zimbabwean said this after starting his permanent Flames reign with the win in the qualifier for the African Nations Championship (CHAN).

“The result is a motivation to the team. Remember when you are building a team, you need to see improvements. We can say we are on step one. We have to mix fitness with tactical awareness. In football you cannot build a player in a week,” he said.

The former FCB Nyasa Big Bullets mentor said most players were still finding their feet due to inexperience and a lack of match fitness.

Pasuwa said: “The response is the result we got as you know these are two-legged matches and you need results. Remember we are coming from off-season. The boys are not match fit and the height of the grass was also big they were dropping into it.”

Striker Binwell Katinji put the Flames ahead with a 44th minute header before his Silver Strikers team-mate Zebron Kalima came off the bench to cushion the lead with a fine finish on the stroke of full time.

The Flames face Comoros again at the same Bingu National Stadiu, in the reverse fixture on February 8, 2025, following the request of the islanders who do not have a certified venue.

The winner of that match will face the winner between South Africa and Egypt in May for a place in the CHAN finals.