Flames captain John Banda has admitted that they were not at their best when they lost 4-0 to Ethiopia in an international friendly match at the Bahir Dar on Wednesday afternoon.

Banda came is a second half substitute in place of Chimwemwe Idana as Flames suffered their worst defeat since losing 4-1 to Zimbabwe in 2013.

He said the team struggled and could not match their counterparts who were more organized and looked ready for the task.

“We didn’t do better in that game in all departments. We showed we were not ready. Since we have resumed training, we are working hard to rectify the mistakes and do well in Sudan.

“We conceded a lot of goals and that’s unacceptable at this level. We are apologizing to our fans for that loss and promising Malawians that we will do better in Sudan.

“We didn’t score again and it is proving to be very tough for us to get goals but now we have that responsibility to change things. The matches ahead are must win and we can only win if we score goals.

“We have learnt a lesson and there will be no excuses in Sudan. As players we have to work hard to get the results. It’s good that all the foreign players will be with us in Sudan and they will add firepower,” said Banda

The Flames are camping in Bahir Dar and will fly out to Sudan on Sunday night where they will be joined by the rest of the foreign contingent.

The Meck Mwase side will play South Sudan away in Khartoum on March 24, before hosting Uganda’ Cranes on Monday, March 29 at the Kamuzu Stadium.

Malawi must win the two matches if they are to qualify for the 2022 AFCON. The Flames are third in Group B with four points, four behind leaders Burkina Faso and three behind second-placed Uganda. South Sudan are bottom placed with just three points.