The second edition of the Champions Super 4, the Battle of Champions, was in full swing, producing mouth-watering clashes for parents and spectators alike at the Tamariskia Stadium in Swakopmund.

The top four teams from the MTC HopSol Youth League and Champion Maize Youth League competed in three age groups: U/13, U/15, and U/17 over the weekend. Walvis Bay’s Kandetu Football Club’s U/13 managed to wrestle the title from the defending champions Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW) by winning on penalties 3-1 to lift the trophy.

Coach Eliaser Amuthitu from SKW said everything fell apart for his side, as he could not find words to sum up the team’s performance. 

“It was a bad day in the office; you could see the structure, we went lethal, especially in the final third. We created a couple of chances, and we couldn’t finish them off,” he explained. Amuthitu Kandetu Football Academy’s goalkeeper was outstanding, especially with the saves he pulled off to get them to the podium. 

“If our boys were composed as we instructed them at the beginning of the game, we could have clinched this one, but tough luck. But otherwise, it was a bad day, bad decision-making from the boys, and the structure broke.” It was a really bad performance from my boys; we did not have our striker as a result of an injury he got the previous day. But it’s not an excuse because we had players who could still come on and play,” he ended.

Coach Ramos Tjazuko from Kandetu Football Academy felt the game went according to plan, but also gave credit to SKW, as they were a worthy opponent.  “I know my team; we have been together for two seasons, and we also won the league this year. So anytime that challenges us, we know we can win because my players today were very eager,” he said. “I’m happy with my boys’ performance because they understand the tactics and are very focused on their game. That’s why I’m very happy with the outcome of the game today.”

Swakopmund Football Club (SFC) U/15 had their local derby with rivals Lindy Cosmos Football Club.  The fierce competition resulted in SFC winning the match 1-0 in the dying minutes of the game. Winning coach Philip Hoaseb from SFC said the game was challenging as they had played in the Lindy Cosmos Football Club four times this year. 

“They are not an easy opponent; they always give it their all. I would say thanks to my boys for going all the way through,” he said. Hoaseb said they tried by all means to score earlier on, but were kept at bay as their opponents’ back line was solid.  

“We were knocking and knocking, but we could not score, but luckily it paid off in the last dying minutes. We wanted to run them down in the first half, but it was not possible because they outplayed us in the middle. Especially in the first 20 minutes, we had to adjust everything in the second half, and we started playing our football, which is normally possession-based.”

“This was a local derby, as you saw, it was all fired up left and right. But I’m grateful that everything ended well. Something we need to work on as coaches is the discipline of our players, but it’s sometimes difficult during the heat of the moment; my boys can lose it. We will definitely look into it,” he promised.

Lindon Haseb from Lindy Cosmos Football Club said every time they meet SFC, it’s a physical game as there is a big rivalry between the two clubs. 

“We came out short against them today, and the best team won today. The red card in the first half was the main deciding factor, so our plans were out of the window,” he explained.

“I am very disappointed with my players’ discipline; that is not what I want to see on the pitch. We will go back to the drawing board, fix what went wrong, discipline-wise. We need to talk to the boys and not chase them away and help them to come back to their full potential.”

Elsewhere, Collin Benjamin’s Soccer Talents (CBS) U/17 put up a masterclass performance when they faced Kasaona Football Academy in the final.

The skillful side that has not lost any match the whole season was quick to stamp authority in the first 15 minutes of the game by scoring two goals to throw Kasaona off track. 

The match ended 3-1 in CBS’ favour while Kasaona struggled to get back in the game. 

Michael Amupolo from Kasaona FA said they were caught sleeping in their final match, which made it hard for them to recover fully after conceding two first-half goals. 

“We were caught sleeping in the first 10 minutes of the match, and we struggled to get back into the game. Every time a goal went in, their heads dropped,” he noted. “We wanted to play to our strength, but everything went out of the window. 

But I’m happy with the last 30 minutes of the match, we managed to score a goal as the boys gave it their all. You could see that they wanted it, but unfortunately, they could not get back into the game.”

CBS coach Henrico Botes was delighted with the win, summing up a great end to the season.  

“All kudos to the boys, they stuck to the game plan, we knew the opponents very well and also knew how they would play. We did our homework, and they stuck to the plan and delivered a brilliant performance to cap off a wonderful weekend,” said the coach. CBS also clinched the MTC HopSol U/17 trophy recently without losing a match and only one draw throughout the season. Botes attributes the team’s success to hard work and consistent training. 

“The boys got together at the beginning of the year, which was a fairly new team as we worked tirelessly on the training ground. I’m happy that they are reaping the fruits of their hard work; it’s a team that is unbeaten this year. Coming to the tournament, we finished still unbeaten. I’m very proud of these boys. Now they can finish their exams so that we can regroup next year,” he shared. 

Bryan Walters, the coordinator of the tournament, felt that the weekend was a success as a celebration of youth football, with all participating teams being good. 

“The teams that came through were really good from Windhoek, and the coastal teams have developed nicely since last year. Overall, it was a good display of football,” said Walters.

“Last year, every cup went to Windhoek, so it was really nice to see two titles were clinched for us. Development has been beneficial for us here; it has progressed very quickly, as evidenced by the results this weekend. In terms of the number of players, the league has doubled in the last year,” he said. -slunyangwe@nepc.com.na