Windhoek
The Namibian football team, the Brave Warriors, were given a taste of their own medicine when they were beaten hands down (3-1) by Burundi in the 2nd leg of their 2017 AFCON qualifier at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek last night.
Having defeated the visitors by an identical scoreline in the first leg away in Burundi five days earlier, the Warriors – playing in their traditional red strip – went into the match as hot favourites.
The hosts were asking questions in the early stages with Pikes Shalulile shooting inches over the crossbar, after some excellent footwork by Petrus “Dancing Shoes” Shitembi.
Soon afterwards, Deon Hotto-Kavendjii put Namibia ahead with eight minutes gone on the clock. The enterprising purple-haired winger started a quick counter-attack from his own half and got the end of Benson “Styles” Shilongo’s defence-splitting pass to slot the ball home from close range, past the hapless Jeff Nzokira in the visitors’ goal.
Defender Chris Katjiukua should have stretched the hosts’ slender lead but his tame header from a corner kick went agonisingly wide, with the goal at his mercy.
With half an hour gone and the hosts taking their foot off the accelerator, the tie deteriorated into a see-saw affair – restricting the visitors to taking potshots from range.
Burundi equalised five minutes before the break, when midfielder Pierre Kwisera scrambled a loose ball into the back of the net, after the casual Namibian rear guard failed to clear their lines from a harmless looking corner kick. Half time score: Namibia 1-1 Burundi.
Clearly unimpressed with his team’s poor showing, Warriors mentor Bucksy Mannetti hauled off the ineffective Shilongo and unleashed Ballack Somaeb at the resumption.
Evidently, Namibia lacked the midfield creativity of Wangu Batista-Gome. The pocket-sized midfielder was dropped from the squad for his apparent lack of game time at his South African PSL club Bidvest Wits University.
Young fullback Edmund Kambanda was found wanting time and again in the left back position and the visitors exploited the hosts’ weak link. The young defender resolved to mark space. The visitors were the livelier side after the break, forcing the hosts to concede a series of corner kicks.
Sensing defeat, Mannetti sent on MTC Premiership top scorer Terry Uiseb, replacing the out-of-sorts Shalulile.
Fiston Abdoul put the visitors ahead when he poked the ball home from close range after Max “Slimkat” Mbaeva’s butter-fingered catch allowed the unmarked Abdoul to pounce on the stray ball to make it 2-1 for Burundi.
The resurgent visitors put the result to bed through Cedric Amissi’s opportunistic strike deep into the second half (3-1) after Mbaeva came off his line.