WINDHOEK – In recent months Namibia and Mozambique have been hard at work fostering closer ties at political level, but there will be no red carpet when the Brave Warriors welcome the Mozambican Mambas in an international Fifa sanctioned friendly at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek tomorrow evening.
The two nations will be meeting for the third time this year with the visitors having the upper hand after two victories in the regional COSAFA Cup competition in Zambia, while the Mambas also edge out Namibia on penalties after the two legged match in the CHAN qualifier ended in a 3-all aggregate score line. After trailing the first leg 3-0 in Maputo, Ricardo Mannetti’s charges did the unthinkable as they paid the Mozambicans back in their own coin – dispatching the Mambas by the same margin to take the tie to the dreaded penalty shootout.
Lady luck finally turned her cheek on the Warriors as they bowed out after defender Chris Katjiukua’s decisive and poorly struck spot kick was easily gathered by the Mambas shot-stopper to hand the Mozambicans an undeserved victory. Mannetti and his technical team have assembled a squad good enough to put the smile back on the faces of local football lovers following Namibia’s disastrous campaign in both Fifa World Cup qualifiers and the COSAFA regional cup. Veteran striker Henrico Botes is back in the fold to lead the strike force after a long absence through an assortment of injuries, while inspirational skipper Stigga Ketjijere will make a welcome return after missing a bigger part of last season through injury.
Local football fans are waiting with bated breath on the long awaited debut of the much talked about Norway-based versatile defender Dominique Hamutenya, who is likely to partner Dudes Mwedihanga in the heart of the Namibian defense. He can also be deployed in the right back position replacing regular fullback, Larry Horaeb, who is nursing an injury. In their last competitive match, the Warriors were narrowly beaten (1-0) by Kenya’s Harambee Stars, in Nairobi in a match of pure convenience after both nations have already been eliminated from the 2014 Fifa Africa World Cup qualifiers. If Namibia’s good showing in their last two encounters against Kenya and Mozambique is anything to go by – local fans can expect fireworks from the hosts come tomorrow.
By Carlos Kambaekwa