Malawi head coach Maggie Chombo has praised her players for their determination despite their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Young Scorchers defeated Nigeria’s Falconets 2-1 in the second leg of their final qualifying round fixture at the Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe on Saturday.
Chombo’s side however lost the tie 3-2 on aggregate.
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Sweden-based attacker, Faith Chinzimu opened the scoring in the ninth minute, reigniting hopes of a comeback.
Chinzimu struck again in the 55th minute, levelling the aggregate score at 2-2 and sending the home crowd into celebration as Malawi pushed for a historic qualification.
However, Nigeria regained control through Oscar Precious, who scored in the 62nd minute to restore the visitors’ aggregate advantage and ultimately secure qualification.
“We won the match, but our aim was to qualify and unfortunately, we didn’t make it. I thank the girls for the spirited performance. We have learned a lot, and it was a good campaign,” Chombo was quoted by Malawi Football Association official website.
By Adeboye Amosu
