Hosts Botswana were held to a 1-1 draw by Malawi in their AUSC Region 5 Games Group A clash at the National Stadium on Friday.
Midfielder Atlang Busang had Botswana ahead inside three minutes in what was the perfect start for the side, but Malawi hit back shortly afterwards.
Malawi’s Chimwembe Bonongwe has a reputation for her long-range strikes and she struck a brilliant free-kick that proved unstoppable to level the scores.
Botswana camped in the Malawi half for much of the match but could not pick apart their defence and had to report to long-range shots that provided no joy.
Meanwhile, Botswana and Namibia shared spoils in the Boys Under-17 competition as their Group A match at the University of Botswana Stadium ended goalless.
The first half was played in excessive heat and that meant there were few scoring opportunities created by either side.
The game became a stop-start affair in the second half with numerous stoppages for injuries and the teams had to settle for a point each.
Botswana coach Teboho Mokute admitted after the game his team had taken a cautious approach as they were playing one of Africa’s powerhouses and believes the heat also played a role in the performances of both teams.
The action continues on Saturday with two matches in the Women’s Under-20 competition.
Zimbabwe and Lesotho open their Group A campaign at the National Stadium at 14h30, before South Africa play their first match when they take on Eswatini at the same venue at 17h00.
Eswatini have already played a game in the three-team group but lost 3-1 to Namibia and will be ousted from the competition with another loss.
FRIDAY’S RESULTS
Boys Under-17 Competition
Group A
Botswana 0 Zambia 0
Women’s Under-20 Competition
Group A
Botswana 1 (Busang 3′) Malawi 1 (Bonongwe 11′)
SATURDAY’S FIXTURES
Women’s Under-20 Competition
Group A
14h30 (12h30 GMT): Zimbabwe vs Lesotho – National Stadium
Group B
17h00 (15h00 GMT): South Africa vs Eswatini – National Stadium
STANDINGS
Boys Under-17 Competition
Group A P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Eswatini 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 3
Botswana 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Zambia 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Namibia 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0
Group B P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Angola 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 3
Malawi 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 3
South Africa 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0
Tanzania 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0
Women’s Under-20 Competition
Group A P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Botswana 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
Malawi 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
Lesotho 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Zimbabwe 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Group B P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Namibia 1 0 0 0 3 1 +2 3
South Africa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Eswatini 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 0
