Despite an impressive 3-0 victory over Eswatini on Friday afternoon, Brave Gladiators’ head coach Woody Jacobs insists that the job is only half-done.
The Gladiators kicked off their 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations’ (WAFCON) qualifier campaign in dominant fashion, securing a crucial away win. Goals from Memory Ngonda, Ivonne Kooper and Hilma Kanyama ensured maximum points ahead of the second leg, set for Wednesday at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Although Namibia heads into the return leg with a strong advantage, Jacobs emphasised that there is still work to be done. He, however, praised his team for their performance, attributing the victory to their ability to capitalise on scoring opportunities.
“Yes, overall, it was a very good performance from the girls. They came into the match and showed up. Credit to the players for putting up a great fight against Eswatini. Now, our focus shifts to the second leg in Johannesburg,” he said.
“I believe this will be a tough journey, and the job is far from finished. I don’t want our players to become complacent after Friday’s result and relax in the next encounter,” he added.
The Gladiators played Friday’s match without key players including Zenatha Coleman, who was unavailable due to pressing family matters, as well as German-based duo Vewe Kotjipati and Twelikondjela Amukoto.
Meanwhile, Eswatini senior women’s football team coach Bongani Makhukhula attributed their loss to giving Namibia ‘too much respect’. The Sitsebe SaMhlekazi coach said this in a post-match media briefing at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) first-round qualifier at Somhlolo National Stadium.
“We respected our opponents, which resulted in us conceding those goals. However, moving forward, we will rectify those mistakes,” he said.
The overall winner between Namibia and Eswatini will proceed to the second round alongside 15 other teams and join seeded South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia in the final qualifying phase.
Additional reporting from panafricafootball.com
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na