By Carlos Kambaekwa
WINDHOEK
Ramblers shot to the top of the MTC Namibia Premiership with a hard fought 2-Nil victory over Sport Klub Windhoek (SWK) at the Ramblers field in Windhoek yesterday.
The match was reminiscent of last week’s rain soaked abandoned tie which left the Tunchel Street Boys leading by two goals before the weather intervened and threw the surprise log leaders another lifeline, but Rammies were in no mood to compromise and started exactly where they left off last time around.
Rammies’ mercurial midfielder Nelson “Dicky” Akwenye beat the offside trap and rounded Heribert Kapeng in SKW’s goal before poking the ball into an empty net from an acute angle to make the score 1-Nil in favour of the hosts.
With inspirational midfielder Marco van Wyk back in the fold after missing last week’s ill fated match, SKW were a much better improved side and troubled the Ramblers rearguard with their aerial power but the Rammies centre back pair of captain fantastic Michael “Dolam Tower” Pienaar and Luther “Bigman” Kanalelo dealt faultlessly with any danger posed by Arend von Stryk and company.
As the first half wore on, Bradley “Asprilla” Wermann picked up a loose ball on the halfway line and zigzagged his way past a number of bemused defenders before he unleashed a left footed cracker which Kapeng could only parry into the path of the onrushing John Samson.
The Sierra Leone veteran striker needed no second invitation and duly obliged by pushing the stray ball into the net with the easiest of tap-ins from close range.
The second half was a ding-dong affair with SKW pushing more men upfront in search of the elusive goal, but over-eagerness almost proved costly for the Germans as Ramblers launched quick counter-attacks that led to both Akwenye and Jeremiah “Bullfrog” Baisako wasting inviting chances when faced with only Kapeng to beat.
Ramblers’ goalkeeper Lucas Hashiti was the busiest of the two net-guards in the second half but the lanky net-minder marshalled his troops well and took no chances as he punched each and every high ball away for safety whenever SKW pumped in their usual long balls into the opposition’s danger zone.
The win lifted the Tunchel Street boys into first spot on 22 points – 2 points above second placed SKW who suffered their first league defeat this season.