Warriors face Mozambique in semi-final

Football
Captain Charles Hambira's men took no nonsense from an opponent they have maintained an unbeaten record against.
  • 3 Months Ago 04 July 2024
Classy, cunning and ruthless, were the description of match commentators of Namibian strike force in Gqeberha, South Africa yesterday.

The Brave Warriors maintained their unbeaten run and progressed to the semi-final of the 2024 Cosafa Cup with an impressive performance against Seychelles.

Yesterday’s 3-1 win booked their place in the second semi-final to be played against Mozambique on Friday at 18:00.

Coach Collin Benjamin felt the commitment in his charges, under the captaincy of Charles Hambira.

"It wasn’t necessarily a beautiful game to watch, but we should all be proud of the boys that fought to get the result.

“After taking the lead with an early penalty, it was supposed to give us confidence, I guess, but there were some disruptions in the rhythm of the play which also affected us.

“It is a very young team that is fighting to make a difference. It would be good for their confidence to hopefully have two more matches and some proper game time.”

The first of two tasty semi-finals on Friday (15:00) will pit Angola against Comoros. Both matches will be played at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Entrance will be free, with tickets available at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium ticket office on a first come, first served basis.

Yesterday, Angola defeated Lesotho 3-1 to take top spot in Group C on goals scored, having netted six times to Namibia’s five.

Lehlohonolo Fothoane gave Lesotho the lead on 26 minutes, but when Depu slotted a penalty just before halftime, he levelled the game and moved to the top of the 2024 COSAFA Cup scorers charts alongside Namibia’s Bethuel Muzeu with a third goal in the competition.

Vidinho then netted a second for the Angolans on 63 minutes to ensure they would advance to the knockout rounds, before Miro added a second penalty late on to net his side’s third goal.

Namibia also won 3-1 as they defeated Seychelles and took second place in the pool with seven points, but advance to the semifinals as the best runner-up from across the three groups.

The Brave Warriors’ record beat Kenya (six points, Group B) and South Africa (five points, Group A).

Muzeu bagged two goals for Namibia, the first a penalty after 10 minutes, as well as the 3-0 goal after 80 minutes, while Erastus Kulula was also on target with a left-footed stunner for the Brave Warriors.

But a goal three minutes from the end by Seychelles’ Brandon Labrosse changed the complexion of the pool and dropped Namibia from first place on goal-difference to second on goals scored.



OPPONENT MOZAMBIQUE, IN THIS TOURNAMENT

Drew with South Africa 1-1

Drew with Eswatini 0-0

Beat Botswana 3-1