… Warriors still short on firepower
WINDHOEK – A clumsy schoolboy error from veteran goalkeeper Athiel Mbaha and numerous discreditable malfunctions in the striking department were partly to blame as the Brave Warriors again started the new year on a bad note after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Ghana, in an international friendly at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium on Saturday.
Namibia fell behind in the 27th minute when Ghanaian striker Sulley Mohammed gave his country a 1-0 lead after he seized a mishandled loose ball from Brave Warriors goalie Mbaha, who failed to control an innocent back pass from captain Da Costa Angula.
It was however only after the goal that Namibia finally started moving out of their blocks as they threw everything in the direction of the visitors, with the ever-sprinting Sadney Urikhob, Deon Hotto, Willy Stephanus and Petrus Shitembi time and again failing to convert easy chances in front of the Ghana goalmouth.
Heading into the final quarter of the first half, Namibia strongly held on and managed to keep their canons constantly firing in the direction of the startled visitors but that much needed goal remained elusive for Namibia as they many a time lacked demonstrating a killer instinct.
The 2nd half followed much of the same pattern, with Ghana playing very defensively and not doing much upfront as the Namibians kept coming forward with some brilliant onslaughts and well stringed passes but their finishing touch remained a major concern as coach Ricardo Mannetti’s charges played their lungs out but their efforts were to no avail as referee Helmut Andreas ended the match 1-0 in favour of Ghana.
Mannetti replaced Mbaha with youthful goalie Lloyd Kazapua and on 61 minutes Mannetti further ringed the changes as he brought on debutants Treasure Kauapirura, Panduleni Nekundi and Theophilus Tsowaseb for Dennis Tjetjinda, Urikhob and Shitembi, but despite all these fresh legs Namibia still failed to find the back of the net, notwithstanding the hordes of chances created.
Nekundi also managed to stretch the visitors’ defence only to see his shot-cum-cross gathered at the far top post by Adams. Deon Hotto also managed a blocked shot before being substituted by Pinehas Jacob, while Isaacks was later replaced by Bryan Bantam with nine minutes to go and after six minutes of additional time.
Ghana leave Windhoek on Wednesday for Bloemfontein where they will be based ahead of this year’s Africa Nations Championship finals, which start on January 11 in South Africa.
– Additional reporting: nfa.org.na
By Otniel Hembapu