COSAFA rivals to clash in 2022 World Cup qualifiers
COSAFA rivals Malawi and Mozambique will clash in their second 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D qualifier at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday, with each looking for their first win.
The match is being played in South Africa after the pitch at Malawi’s regular home venue was deemed not fit for purpose by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), a similar situation that Namibia found themselves in when they host Congo in Orlando last Thursday.
Malawi lost their pool opener 2-0 in Cameroon on Friday, while Mozambique played to a goalless draw with Ivory Coast in Maputo.
With only the top team in each pool advancing to the final stage of qualifying in March, there is little margin for error for both sides.
Malawi will be hoping for their first win over The Mambas since 2009, while their last clash was in this year’s COSAFA Cup in Durban, where goals from Vitinho (penalty) and Francisco Simbine secured a 2-0 victory for Mozambique.
The teams have met on 27 occasions in the past since their first clash in 1981, with Malawi leading the head-to-head 11-8 and a further eight games drawn.
This will be the first time the teams meet in the World Cup qualifiers, but they have twice before played in the preliminaries for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The first instance was in 1985 when they had a pair of 1-1 draws, and the second in 1997 when they both recorded home wins.
Malawi have been training at Sturrock Park in Johannesburg, the former home of BidVest Wits, and they have a number of players in the squad for who the Orlando Stadium will be familiar surroundings.
Not least striker Gabadinho Mhango, who plays for Orlando Pirates, but also Limbikani Mzava, Dennis Chembezi, Tawonga Chimodzi, Gerald Phiri Jnr, Richard Mbulu and Khuda Myaba, who all either have or currently play in the South African league.
That means they will not only be used to the stadium, but also playing at the altitude of Johannesburg, which can have an energy-sapping effect on the players.
Mozambique coach Horacio Gonçalves has given a clean bill of health to his squad, and says he is hoping for a faster start from his side than their 0-0 draw with the Ivorians.
“We came in with some nerves,” Gonçalves said. “We had difficulties for a long time in the first half because of our positioning. We missed a lot of passes and didn’t close the spaces well.
“We had to attack from the left and that’s when we got the ball. I don’t think we can have that kind of mentality of waiting for the opponent to go after the ball.”
After this fixture Malawi will play back-to-back qualifiers against Ivory Coast in October, while Mozambique will be home and away against Cameroon.
