Limba Mupetami

The Brave Warriors of Namibia suffered a crushing defeat in the 2024 edition of the Cosafa Cup final, losing 5-0 to Angola in an empty Nelson Mandela Stadium in Gqeberha, South Africa. 

This marked the second encounter between the two teams in this edition of the tournament, with their group stage match ending in a goalless draw.

However, the final had a different outcome, with Pedro Francisco, Laurindo Dilsin Aurelio, Victor Nanque and Keliano Manuel scoring to secure a decisive victory for Angola. Namibia had a poor start to the match allowing Angola to capitalise on a counterattack in the 12th minute, with Francisco finding the back of the net with the Namibian defence caught off-guard.

Namibia had two significant opportunities to score in the first half, but failed to convert. The situation deteriorated in the 44th minute when Angola was awarded a penalty after Charles Hambira committed a foul in the box. Aurelio expertly converted, sending the ball into the right-hand corner and leaving the Namibian team disheartened.

Just before halftime, Kamaijanda Ndisiro made a crucial save from a brilliant header by Francisco, giving Namibia a glimmer of hope for the second half. However, Angola continued their dominance. In the 58th minute, Nanque scored a header from a corner kick, extending Angola’s lead.

The situation worsened for Namibia in the 67th minute when Ivan Kamberipa was shown a red card at the edge of the box. Nanque stepped up to blast the resultant free kick past a bemused Ndisiro. Namibia’s misery did not end there, as Manuel scored in the 70th minute, encountering minimal resistance from the Namibian defence.

Namibia’s last chance to score came through Bethuel Muzeu, but Angola’s goalkeeper made a crucial save to deny the Brave Warriors a consolation goal. 

Nanque was named Man of the Match, and dedicated the award to the people of Angola.

Warriors’ head coach Collin Benjamin reflected on the match, saying: “The match didn’t go as planned, but I am still proud of my boys for their effort in reaching the final. In the semifinal, they gave everything. Fatigue and mental exhaustion played a part (in the loss). Angola deserved the win, but this motivates me to continue working with the players. Mistakes were made, and the opposition got stronger. We can’t change the outcome, but we can learn and move on”.

Angola’s head coach Pedro Gonçalves praised his team: “The match was amazing. I am proud of the players. It’s a great feeling. Benjamin did a great job, but today was Angola’s day.”

In the battle for third place, Mozambique triumphed over Comoros in a penalty shootout. The match had ended 2-2 in regulation time and went to penalties, where Mozambique beat Comoros 3-1 to secure third place.

Angola took home N$500 000 for their win while Namibia, the runners-up, received N$250 000. Mozambique earned N$150 000 for finishing third, while Comoros was awarded N$100 000 for their fourth-place finish.

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na