Swallows U/15 showed some signs of improvement as they managed to walk all over Onaanda Football Academy, beating them 6-2 at the SKW B Field on Saturday.

The win puts Swallows in a better position to progress to the knock-out stages in Group B, while Onaanda has failed to register a win, falling down the pecking order and languishing at the bottom of the log with zero points.

Man of the match from Swallows Masule Munyeme managed a haul in the game, while his teammate Xander Richter got two goals for himself.

Munyeme expressed his joy after his brilliant performance, which he feels was a well-deserved victory. 

“It was a good experience on the field today, but this started from training this week. We executed everything we trained for during the week, and I should give credit to my coaches. We had a few issues on the field, but we were more prepared this time,” he said.

Coach Michael Uugwanga from Swallows was pleased with the youngsters’ performance, which now leaves them third on the log with 13 points, giving them a chance to qualify for the knockout stages. 

“It was a good game for us. We knew we had to come out with a win to have a chance to progress to the knockout stages. Again, today, we used four players who play U/12, and gave everything they could. I take
nothing from our boys. We have been practising throughout the whole week, and I told them we needed a win because of some losses we had,” he stated.

Uugwanga said they aimed to perform well. 

“We take nothing away from Onaanda. They are a good side, but today was not their day. These are kids, and it’s about allowing them to play. It’s not about winning in the end. It’s about them, the future youngsters, and allowing them to play the game,” he asserted.

“On the way to the field today, the boys said they would come here, enjoy the game, and have fun. We took the pressure off ourselves, and came here to enjoy the match. They are the kids who are going to rise through the ranks, and play U/19 one day. I believe we are doing very well with them,” he said.

The captain of the losing side, Angula Tangeni, felt they started well, but the game became difficult for them. 

“As you could see, the boys gave everything they had. We tried to outplay them, but they were better,” he noted.

“Some of our players were also not here, while some could not play without shin guards, which made our performance difficult today. I tried to get them to play better, but they didn’t come to training. They don’t attend our training sessions,” he said.

-slunyangwe@nepc.com.na