Going into today’s Cosafa Cup semi-final clash against the guileful Mambas of Mozambique, Brave Warriors’ coach Collin Benjamin and his charges will be inspired by historical feats as they gun to surmount the Mambas.
The match, set for the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, is expected to be another thrilling battle for the history books, in which both sides are vying for a spot in the final of the regional tournament.
The other semi-final clash of the day will see guest participant Senegal taking on five-times Cosafa Cup winners Zambia.
Statistically, the Brave Warriors enjoy the upperhand going into the encounter, and are historically no strangers to causing major upsets at this stage of the competition.
The match will mark only their third Cosafa Cup semi-final appearance in as many visits. In both their last two appearances, the Brave Warriors defeated Eswatini in 1999 and more recently Madagascar in 2015 – the same year they won the regional title under the stewardship of former gaffer Ricardo Mannetti.
On head-to-head statistics, Namibia have clashed with the Mambas seven times at the regional football showpiece. In those meetings, the Brave Warriors emerged as winners on four occasions and Mozambique only on two, while one was a draw.
Namibia have played Mozambique at the Cosafa Cup more than any other country, and statistics again show that they outscored the Mambas by 10-5 in all matches combined.
Against that backdrop, Benjamin and his troops will be drawing some comfort and inspiration from their historical position, and hopefully aim to go one step better by beating the visibly battled-hardened Mambas, who on Wednesday overcame a stubborn Bafana Bafana 5-4 on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
Namibian veteran goalkeeper Edward Maova, who is one of the experienced players in the current squad, yesterday sounded the war drums when he cautioned the Mozambicans against undermining the young Brave Warriors’ side at their peril.
He expressed great confidence with the readiness of the team, saying they have seen what the Mambas are capable of, but today’s encounter will be a whole different kettle of fish.
“We have a very good balanced team of young and experienced players who are all eager to showcase what they can do at this level. It’s great exposure for our youngsters playing here, and one can see that they are really ready to make history for the country and for the flag.”
“They are ready, and even at training, they continue to put their hands up to all tasks that are thrown at them. That is great to see and that is what we are all aiming for, going into the Mozambique match. We are ready for the match,” said Maova, who professionally plies his trade for South African outfit TS Sporting.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na