Namibia’s Young Warriors were eliminated from the Cosafa U/20 African Cup of Nations qualifiers after a 2-1 defeat to Zambia’s Copper Bullets in their final group stage match.

This loss follows their opening 1-0 defeat to Angola, leaving them without a single point in the competition.

The match in Mozambique started slow, with both teams cautious. Namibia had an early chance in the first 20 minutes but failed to capitalise. Zambia broke the deadlock in the 37th minute through Emmanuel Mwanza.

The second half saw Zambia double their lead through David Simukonda in the 62nd minute. Namibia responded quickly with a free-kick goal by Engilio Goagoseb just two minutes later, but it wasn’t enough to salvage the match.

Speaking afterwards, head coach James Britz said he was pleased with the overall performance despite falling short in the group stage.

“It was a good game. We had fair chances to convert, but we couldn’t. We gave it our all. I think it was hard luck, but the boys did their best. We were in a tough group with the likes of Zambia and Angola, but I am pleased with how we performed,” he said.

This year’s poor performance has been attributed to various factors, including the team being in camp only a few days before the tournament. Britz admitted that the lack of proper training played a significant role in the results.

“We only trained for 10 days, which was not ideal, but we are happy the boys came out to fight for the nation. Congrats to Zambia for a well-deserved victory,” he added.

Namibia made history in 2021 by finishing second in the tournament, earning a place at the 2021 U/20 Africa Cup of Nations. However, they exited in the first round, taking only a single point from their three games.

-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na