Dama Soccer Academy U/17 held onto an all-important 0 – 0 draw against Collin Benjamin Soccer Talent Academy (CBS) on Friday at the Jan Möhr football field.

As the knockout stages are fast approaching, both teams failed to capitalise on chances in front of goal to further improve their position on the log. 

Dama SA now sits at position number five with 19 points, while CBS is right behind them with 17 points.

CBS goalkeeper Leo Sholtz said they did not do their job properly on the day, as they had a lot of opportunities to put the game to bed but were wasteful, and they only had themselves to blame. “We could not convert our chances properly as we were wasteful in front of goal. We missed a goal, and lost the ball in bad areas,” he said.

Sholtz pointed out they particularly struggled in the midfield, which also did not give the forwards enough support. 

“We struggled to create chances, but when they were created, we did not use them correctly… I think my performance was ok, but it could have been better. I still believe we can make it to the knockout stages if we win our next game and hope for the best,” he said.

Despite losing a player in the second half, Dama SA showed resilience and kept their focus throughout the match. Coach Piennar Haitenge said they somehow prepared for how the game was going to go, even though they were a man down. 

“We prepared for this during our training, so it was not a real challenge for us. When we went one player down, it was an issue for us. But we did it in training, so it was not a challenge for us,” he noted.

He added, “The system and gameplan are fine, and the boys have really adapted. Maybe it is just because we got a bit nervous in the second half, but we did well. In terms of our next game, it’s all about taking chances. I think we are the team that takes a lot of chances at the moment, but we are not converting those chances, which is something we have to talk about.”

Haitenge expressed his boys have been putting the shift in terms of the style they play, and is sure they will be able to make it to the next stage as they occupy position number five on the log. 

“The log looks a little bit shaky, but I can tell you right now, we will be able to qualify,” he said.

Elsewhere

Ramblers U/19 collected three points when they won their match 2 – 0 against Sunshine Private School at the same venue on Friday.

Captain of Sunshine Private School Petoorya Nguvenyengua said the game could have swung in their favour due to the chances they had, but were very unlucky in the end to not record a draw. 

“We had some golden opportunities that we could not take, but we had a tough week because we were not training. The players were not together, but we are looking forward to improving on that. We will also need to improve on the attack, as we only have two or three players who are attacking. We don’t have enough power in front,” he said.

Coach Tiro Tlhabanello felt the game was tough, given that Sunshine was not a pushover as they had countless chances in front of goal, but they could not convert them. 

“We had a break in-between, and I did not have all of my players. Normally, I have six on the bench, but all in all, the guys played well,” he noted.

The win puts Ramblers second on the log with 25 points, just behind CBS, which has 31 points, guaranteeing them a spot in the top eight for the knockout stages. 

“We are sitting pretty comfortable on the log and already through to the top eight, which is now our main focus,” he said.

-slunyangwe@nepc.com.na