Kalisto Pasuwa refuses to regret Malawi’s approach in 5-0 defeat by Egypt

Malawi head coach Kalisto Pasuwa said he had no regrets about the attacking approach his side adopted despite their 5-0 defeat by Egypt in the third round of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Malawi began the match by pressing Egypt high up the pitch, hoping to unsettle their opponents early. However, they failed to convert several chances before conceding, leaving them with a heavy defeat.

“We started the match with a high press to surprise Egypt, but we missed a number of chances,” Pasuwa said at his post-match news conference.

“When you miss chances, you concede goals. We paid the price for that, but I do not regret playing in this way.”

Egypt moved to the top of Group B with seven points after their emphatic victory, while Malawi remain third on three points.

Pasuwa said the next meeting between the teams would be a different contest, with Malawi set to host Egypt in the following round.

“The next match will be different at our home ground, and we can certainly win it,” he added. “We will close the file on this defeat and begin preparing to face Egypt again on Tuesday.”

Egypt’s five goals were scored by Nasser Maher, Omar Marmoush, Mohamed Hany and Mohamed Salah, who netted twice.

The result gave Ali Maher a convincing victory in his first appearance with the Egypt national team. Nasser Maher also opened his international account in his fifth match for Egypt.

Marmoush took his tally to 14 goals for Egypt in his 59th international appearance, while Mohamed Hany scored his first international goal for the national team against Malawi.

Salah’s two goals took him level with Hossam Hassan as Egypt’s all-time leading scorer, with both players having scored 68 goals.