Malawi has received congratulatory messages from their president Lazarus Chakwera for the exploits at AFCON. Picture: Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP
Orlando Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango and his Malawi national teammates have been congratulated by their president Lazarus Chakwera for their efforts at the Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon.
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The Flames of Malawi put on a very gutsy performance from the start of the tournament, finishing the group stages in third place with four points and they subsequently made it to the next phase as one of the best third place finishers.
They lost slightly by 1-0 in the first game against Equatorial Guinea, before registering a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe and wrapped the group stages with a goalless draw against Senegal.
Despite being knocked out with a score-line of 2-1 by Morocco in the last 16 round on Tuesday, the Malawian head of state feels the team did extremely well and hopes for a brighter future of football in Malawi after they reached this stage of the tournament for the very first time.
“Flames, I am personally filled with joy and gratefulness for the remarkable performance you have displayed at the Afcon tournament. You have written a new history of our nation’s football. Although you did not qualify for the next round, you have left all of us feeling very proud of you and with much hope for a brighter future in football,” read Malawi’s president’s message to the squad.
“Walk with your heads held high and we wait to welcome you with pride back home.”
Malawi’s players did quite well and fought for the team, but the star of the show was definitely the Bucs goal-poacher Mhango, who managed to score all the goals for Malawi at the tournament. He scored three in total, a brace against Zimbabwe and one goal in the tie against Morocco.
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