Maqonda Ndlovu
AFRICAN Stars and Eshoke Chula Chula played out a 1-1 draw in the 2023 Namibia Premier Football League match at the Hage Geingob Stadium in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday.
A capacity crowd of over 8 000 spectators packed the rugby stadium, which is now the venue for Africa Stars league games, as both teams settled down amid a flurry of attacks on both ends of the pitch.
Stars were the first to find the back of the net when Will Awilo Stephanus had the easiest task of scoring the opening goal of the match when he latched onto an Angel Kuezi square ball and tucked into the net to make it 1-0 for his side at halftime. The second half saw Chula Chula mount enough pressure, with Bibi João scoring the equaliser 14 minutes from time to level matters.
Stars threw everything into attack with the hope of finding a winner, but Chula Chula held steadfast for a draw, a result that their coach John Sikerete said was good for his players but bad for him as a coach.
“The match was very competitive; the first half was for Stars, and the second half belonged to us. My boys are new to the league; we are ready to fight and stay in this league,” Sikerete said.
He added that he would have loved to go to the break without conceding so that they could run them down in the second half. Sikerete said his goalkeeper and defender made elementary mistakes, which led to the equaliser.
The former Rundu Chiefs coach paid tribute to the fans who travelled in their numbers to support his team in their first away match.
“These fans are magnificent; they always stand tall, they come out in numbers, and they don’t fear anything. They help the boys run until the last minute,” he said.
African Stars coach Prince George Koffie said it was a good game as his opponent’s game plan was to defend and frustrate his team while playing in transition.
“We got the first goal and wanted more, but we failed to take our chances. We had an injury to Edmund Kambanda, and we had to replace him, and they capitalised on the miscommunication because of indecision, which allowed their striker to equalise,” Koffie said.
Koffie said his side played better and deserved to walk away with all three points, adding that his team must learn to stick to their game plan. Other results for matches played on Saturday saw Orlando Pirates losing at home to Mighty Gunners by a 1-0 scoreline, while on Friday evening, FC Ongos dispatched Unam 3-0 and Young African beat Life Fighters 2-1.
– jrnmarko@gmail.com