WINDHOEK – Hosts Namibia have taken stewardship at the summit of Group A in the TN Mobile CAF Women’s Championship, underway in the capital Windhoek.
The Golden Gladiators surprised friend and foe with a brilliant performance to send a stern warning to their competitors that they will be a major force to be reckoned with in the two-week continental biannual eight-nation tourney.
A goal apiece in the opening half through the efforts of Rita Williams and Thomalina Adams saw the Gladiators claim a well deserved 2-0 win over Zambia in their opening match in front of a full house at the revamped Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday.
Buoyed by a partisan home crowd, the Namibians took the match to their more fancied opponents from the onset and were rewarded with a goal in the 6th minute when Williams bundled the ball over the goal line after a goalmouth scramble (1-0).
The Namibian rearguard of skipper Uerikondjera Kasaona, Stacy Naris, Lovisa Mulunga and Lorraine Jossob kept the muscular Zambians at bay with resolute defending although the quartet was at times left at sixes and sevens by Zambian captain, Kabange Mupopo.
The dreadlocked winger was in a class of her own and led the home team’s defence in a merry go round with some silky moves – only to be badly let down by her team-mates who couldn’t match her pace.
Adams put the result to bed with a well-struck free kick just outside the penalty area to send the enthusiastic crowd into frenzy and put the hosts 2-0 ahead going into the changeover.
The Zambians came out strongly in the second half bombarding the Namibian goal with pot shots only to find the hosts’ shot stopper, Lydia Eixas, in an uncompromising mood.
The Namibian last line of defence put up a gallant showing as she thwarted everything thrown at her – much to the delight of the appreciative crowd. Eixas was extremely unlucky not to walk away with the woman of the match award.
Strangely, the prestigious award went to her team-mate Adams, amidst murmurs of displeasure among many of the journalists in the media tribune who strongly felt the accolade should have instead gone to Zambian playmaker, Mupopo.
With no match fixtures today, the Golden Gladiators return to the same venue tomorrow to confront Ivory Coast.
In the 2nd match on the opening day, Nigeria joined the hosts at the top of the Group A log standings with a hard fought 4-2 win over Ivory Coast.