African Stars solidified their championship claim on Friday night by securing a crucial victory against Civics, strengthening their position at the top of the Debmarine Namibia Premier Football League (Npfl) standings as Khomas Nampol put an end to Ongos’ impressive run.
Stars’ head coach Mervin Mbakera expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, highlighting the importance of grinding out results.
“We did well, managed to collect the three points – and thanks to the hard work of this magnificent team; this is championship character for me,” Mbakera said.
He highlighted that the ultimate goal for the season is to test themselves in the African Champions League, and winning the league is crucial for that aspiration.
Mbakera continued, “Our main objective for this season is still to go and test ourselves in the African Champions League next season – and for us to do that, we will need to win the league. Congratulations to the players, and we move on to the next”.
In response, Civics’ Jeremy Zimmer acknowledged the competitiveness of the match, expressing disappointment that his team could not secure the desired results.
“It was a good game; we played and controlled the match. Our players put up a great fight against Stars. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the desired results, and it wasn’t our day. Congratulations to Stars for winning; they were a better side and collected maximum points,” Zimmer said.
Zimmer remained optimistic, focusing on the upcoming challenges. “We want to give credit where it’s due – and for us, we are going to focus on our next match.”
In other notable matches over the weekend, Orlando Pirates continued their league struggle with a 1-0 loss to Tigers on Thursday, keeping them at the bottom of the league with five points. Pirates have won only one match out of 14 games, with two draws and 11 losses this season.
Their coach, Kosta Kheiseb, said his squad is fighting hard to turn around the negative results, but they face a daunting task as they are fighting a lot of elements.
“They caught us in the first minute, but from there, we were all over them. We missed a penalty, which would have drawn us level and changed the complexity of the match. We are fighting the officials and opposition; we are fighting to be at the bottom of the league. Every day is a lesson for us now. We are fighting off the field,” Kheiseb said.
Tigers coach James Britz paid tribute to Pirates, saying they had given them a run for their money.
“We had a game plan, and it worked in the first half. But we did not finish. They have individual brilliance, which gave us problems. I think we could have scored more goals; we need to improve in front of the goal,” Britz said.
Khomas Nampol secured the second spot in the league by defeating Ongos with a convincing 3-0 scoreline, while Julinho Sporting played to a 0-all draw against Unam.
Mighty Gunners and Okahandja United shared the points in a one-all draw. Oshakati Independence Stadium witnessed a goalless draw between Eeshoke Chula Chula and Blue Waters, while Okakarara United secured a 1-0 victory against Life Fighters in the north.