Despite dropping valuable points on Saturday and Sunday, African Stars remain on top of the Debmarine Premiership log.
A goalless draw against Chula Chula on Saturday, followed by a 0-2 loss at the hands of KK Palace, saw Stars’ commanding lead reduced to just two points ahead of second-placed Young African, who now sit on 45 points.
Head coach of Stars Bob Mafaso said they had a bad weekend.
“We are obviously not happy with how we performed. We have to try and avoid such in the upcoming games,” he said.
Young African missed a chance to claim top spot after playing out back-to-back goalless draws over the weekend against KK Palace on Saturday, and Chula Chula on Sunday.
Meanwhile, despite collecting maximum points over the weekend, Khomas Nampol could not close the gap at the top.
The uniformed team beat Okahandja United 0-1 away before overpowering Mighty Gunners 1-3.
The results see them remain in third place with 34 points.
Reacting to his side’s performance and the title race, Khomas Nampol’s coach Fortune Eichab said he was generally satisfied with the weekend’s results.
“We value each game. Collecting maximum points over the weekend is part of the mandate we have. We strive to ensure that in every match, we either collect three points or at least one,” he said.
The league title remains up for grabs, with any of the top three teams still in with a chance to clinch it if they win their remaining matches.
Asked whether his side is in the race for the title, Eichab downplayed the idea.
He said they would be content with a top two or top three finish.
“We are not really eyeing the title per se, but finishing in the top three will obviously be a huge milestone. We don’t want to pressure ourselves. We’ll take each match as it comes,” he added.
Rundu-based outfit Cuca Tops had a tough weekend, losing back-to-back matches.
They went down 4-1 to Ongos on Saturday before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Tigers on Sunday, results that have all but confirmed their relegation.
Even if they were to win all their remaining fixtures, it would be mathematically impossible for them to avoid the drop.
Rundu Chiefs were crowned champions of the Namport North-East Stream First Division 2024/2025 season after downing Shooting Stars 0-3 away from home.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na