Brave Warriors mentor Collin Benjamin has refused to get carried away by the 2-0 win over Madagascar in yesterday’s quarterfinal of the ongoing Cosafa Cup, saying the win was the start of a long march towards the regional trophy and, therefore, focus must be maintained. 

Namibia’s Brave Warriors hugely profited from two second-half goals by midfielders Absalom Iimbondi and Wendell Rudath as they marched towards a comfortable win over the island nation at the King-Zwelithini Stadium in Durban, South Africa. 

Rudath was also voted Man of the Match. 

The win, which was otherwise largely characterised by an avalanche of missed goal-scoring opportunities by the Namibians, saw the well-balanced Brave Warriors side booking their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing 2022 Cosafa Cup.

Reflecting on the victory in the post-match interview, a calm and excited Benjamin said it was a huge relief for him and his side to have managed to manoeuvre their way around a stubborn Malagasy side, which he admitted gave his boys a good run for their money. 

“It was not an easy win for us today, but we managed to get those two important goals. We all saw how tough Madagascar is as a team and how they stood their ground. But I’m happy we got the points, and we now move on to the next stage to fight another day. 

It will not get any easier from here onwards; that’s why we have to remain focused and not get carried away by today’s (yesterday) win. Obviously, as a technical team, we made some assessments and saw the areas that need further improvement – and that’s what we will do. But I’m happy with the win,” said Benjamin, a Brave Warriors and Cosafa Cup legend himself.

On the young talents in his squad, Benjamin said he was pleased to see the various players in his team showing courage, determination and the willingness to punch above their weight on such a high level, adding that it is the beginning of many good things to come for them. 

“We have a bunch of U/20 boys in our squad – and what we saw today is exactly what we wanted to see. It is all about giving them an opportunity to showcase themselves and grow from the experience. Going forward, we will continue throwing them in the deep end and see how they respond, but the big aim is to help the team and country do better here. We will take it one game at a time and not rush things. For now, we go back and plan for the next match.”

The Brave Warriors now await the winner between South Africa and Mozambique, who will face each other today for their quarterfinals clash.

- ohembapu@nepc.com.na