Windhoek
A defensive lapse late in the second half denied a gutsy Namibian senior football team, the Brave Warriors, a rare and well-deserved morale boosting away-win in Gambia on Friday.
Going into their penultimate 2018 Africa FIFA World Cup preliminary qualifier against the Gambian Scorpions on the back of two consecutive defeats in the qualifiers – that left their chances hanging on a thread – the Namibians needed victory at all costs to have any mathematical chance of sneaking in through the backdoor in the hope other results would go their way.
Warriors head coach Bucksy Mannetti rang a couple of changes to the starting line up, with Golden Arrows’ agile shotstopper Max ‘Slimkat’ Mbaeva shifting between the sticks, replacing regular net-guard Virgil Vries. Mannetti went for broke in the attacking positions, unleashing the attacking duo of Awilo ‘Rakhale’ Stephanus and Benson ‘Styles’ Shilongo to bolster a blunt strike force. The players responded in the most dignified manner, playing the brand of football that propelled them to become the southern African regional champions a few months ago. The visitors started like a house on fire and pinned their hosts in their own half for the better part of 90 minutes on one-stop action in the Gambian city of Bakau.
The Warriors showed composure and great maturity as they controlled proceedings from the onset, but the resolute hosts’ rearguard held firm and would give nothing away as the teams settled for a goalless first half (0-0).
Mercurial former Black Africa attacking midfielder Stephanus, who nowadays plies his trade in the lucrative Thai second-tier league, silenced the vociferous crowd with a stinging delivery from a set piece to give the Namibians a slender lead.
The goal seemed to have galvanised the Warriors, who took control, enjoying the lion’s share of ball possession and looked poised for a rare away triumph until Gambian striker Savage Demba leveled the scoreboard with an opportunistic goal with only seven minutes left on the clock.
“Its very unfortunate that they (Gambia) managed to crawl their way back into contention. We had them under siege and I must applaud the boys for sticking to the game plan. They showed great teamspirit and conducted themselves professionally on the pitch. I’m really proud of the boys and in particular with their gusto and tactical awareness – they gave very little way,” a relieved Mannetti said after the match.
Despite the setback, the former Santos midfield anchor remains upbeat and believes the result was probably Namibia’s finest display away from home since 2011, considering the tough conditions they had to overcome prior to the match. “The players were cool-headed and didn’t panic under pressure – and that’s the characteristic of maturity.”
He reserved special praise for dreadlocked sticks man Mbaeva, whom he singled out as having made the difference between defeat and victory. Slimkat is maturing like good wine since his move to the South African Professional League. He certainly kept Namibia in the game for most of the match, but that does not take anything away from players, such as utility defender Denzil Seun Hoaseb, who was rock-solid in defense.
Sadly, the latter suffered a nasty cut to his head and had to be taken off, making way for veteran fullback Dennis ‘Law’ Ngueza-Tjetjinda. The Gambians were very physical, but the Warriors would not be intimidated and stood their ground when called to the battle.
South African-based speedy winger Ballack Somaeb came on for the tightly-marked Shilongo while veteran goatee-bearded midfielder Heini Isaacks replaced the tiring Petrus ‘Dancing Shoes’ Shitembi in the second half.
The Warriors will be back in action against the very same opponents in the second leg of the Africa 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary second leg qualifier at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek tomorrow afternoon at 16h00.