Windhoek
The Namibian senior football team, the Brave Warriors came from a goal behind to defeat Gambia 2-1 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary at the Sam Nujoma stadium in Windhoek yesterday.
Needing victory at home to have any mathematical possibility of resurrecting their fading hopes of sneaking through to the next qualifying stage of the 2018 African Zone FIFA World Cup Russia, the Warriors started the match like a house on fire and took the fight to their muscular opponents from the moment Botswana referee blew the first whistle to signal the start.
Playing in their traditional all red stripes in front of a relatively small crowd under searing heat at the Sam Nujoma stadium, Katutura on the outskirts Windhoek, yesterday, the hosts were determined to manufacture a satifactory result. The two nations cancelled each out in a 1-all stalemate in Gambia five days earlier and were out to set the record straight in terms of territorial superiority.
The hosts created half a goal scoring chance to open the score board when midfielder Petrus Shitembi seized possession and cut through the flatfooted Gambian defense but the usually lethal playmaker shot wide, dispatching his shot inches over the cross bar with the goal at his mercy.
With ten minutes gone on the clock, the hosts were made to pay dearly for some slack defending when goalkeeper Max Mbaeva’s poor clearance landed generously at the feet of the unmarked Pa Amat Dibba. The Scorpions’ forward dully obliged as he danced past the bemused Warriors defense before he neatly placed a low shot below the outstretched hands of the embarrassed dreadlocked shot stopper.
Defender Dennis Ngueza-Tjetjinda skinned his marker down the right flank using his skill as he worked his way into the opposition’s danger zone only to be let down by the final delivery. Soon afterwards, Benson Shilongo shot tamely when teed up by Awilo Stephanus after a string exchange of neat passes by the Namibians. With a congested midfield, both teams were unable to unlock each other’s tight defenses with lone striker Shilongo cutting a lone figure upfront as he battled against the towering Gambian defenders.
Namibia missed another inviting chance to level the score board when enterprising overlapping fullback Junior Gebhardt left his marker for dead only for his cleverly executed cut back to be strangely mis-hit by Shitembi from close range with the Gambian goalie Alagie Nyabally well at sea.
After mounting pressure, the hosts finally drew level five minutes before the break when Stephanus scrambled a loose ball into the back of the net following a goalmouth melee (1-1).
A thorough tongue-lashing by coach Bucksy Mannetti appeared to be just what the good doctor has ordered after the halftime break. The Warriors came out with guns blazing, launching several attacks into the opposition’s danger zone and were handsomely rewarded when substitute Ballack Somaeb latched onto a defense splitting pass from Shitembi to slot the ball home past the stranded Nyabally (2-1).
The introduction of Pikes Shalulile in place of the limping Stephanus galvanized the hosts as the Warriors started to pay frequent visits into the visitors’ jittery danger zone – much to the delight of the appreciative crowd that grew in numbers as the match wore on.
Shalulile proved quite a handful with his speed combined with clever positional play and had the Gambian defense at sixes and sevens. With time ticking by, Somaeb should have completed his brace but the Free State Stars (PSL) striker’s nerves got the better of him as he shot tamely when it looked much easier to score than to miss.
At the other end, Mbaeva atoned for his earlier houler as the dreadlocked lanky shot stopper redeemed himself by diving at full strength to thwart a goal-bound shot from a set piece.
Namibia had a bag full of decent goal scoring opportunities to kill off the game and bury the tiring visitors under an avalanche of goals but wayward shooting and poor decision making in the final quarter proved to be their Archilles Heel. And that’s how it remained; Namibia 2-1 Gambia.
Brave Warriors starting lineup: Max “Slimkat” Mbaeva, Dennis “Law” Ngueza-Tjetjinda, Willem “Dudes” Mwedihanga, Chris Katjiukua, Ananias Junior Gebhardt, Ronald “Stigga”Ketjijere (capt), Awilo “Rakhale” Stephanus (Shalulile), Wangu Batista-Gome, Benson “Styles” Shilongo (Somaeb), Deon Hotto-Kavendjii, Petrus “Dancing Shoes” Shitembi (Iimbodi).