Stakes are high this evening as Malawi Under-17 coach Deklerk Msakakuona and his South African counterpart Duncan Crowie fight for a place at the 2023 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Malawi and South Africa face off in the semi-finals of the Cosafa Under-17 Championship which is part of the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games.

Malawi Under-17 (in red) in action against Namibia in group stages

The two finalists will book a place at the Afcon finals in Algeria next year.

The Junior Flames last qualified for Afcon Youth Championship and the World Cup in 2009.

To reach this stage, Malawi finished top in Group A. They drew two-all against Botswana and beat 2-1 win over Namibia while runners-up Botswana beat Namibia 1-0.

South Africa finished second in Group B after losing to Zambia. They beat Mozambique 1-0 and Comoros 11-0.

In an interview yesterday, Msakakuona said they are ready for the match.

He said: “We knew we will meet strong teams in the semi-finals than in group stages, but we are prepared. To be the best you have to beat the best. When you are going into the bush to hunt, you want to come home with something. We want to be among the two finalists and that was our goal at the start of this tournament and still it is our goal.”

Msakakuona has a pool of talent in his squad, including Vincent Harrison, Mwisho Mhango, Blessings Kawanga and Webster Mzunga who have been key for Malawi.

Mhango is the revelation of the tournament and was named player of the tournament in his first game.

In an interview, Crowie too made his goal clear that he is targeting Afcon qualification.

He described Zambia as the toughest team in his group.

“But yes, we are looking forward to the semi-finals and of course if we win that game we are through to Algeria. That is what everybody is working towards,” he said.

Crowie reserved special praise for his forward Siyabonga Mabena and said he was impressed with his performance.

The youngster scored the goal against Mozambique and claimed five against Seychelles in the 11-0 rout while Benjamin Wills had a hat-trick.

“Mabena has been a revelation, and keeping in mind that he is only 15 years old. He can play another year or two in the Under-17,” said the South Africa coach.

In the other semi-final, Zambia face Botswana and the winner will meet Malawi or South Africa in the final scheduled for Sunday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

The post  Battle for Afcon appeared first on The Nation Online.