KORHOGO: Namibia’s senior national men’s football team had a disappointing match day two in the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, losing 0-4 against South Africa.
Their Group F match was played at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.
South Africa, who were at the bottom of the group after losing their opening match 2-0 against Mali, wasted no time in finding their opening goal of the match. They found the net in the 12th minute through a penalty kick by Percy Tau, who converted the spot kick with ease.
Temba Zwane then doubled their score with a well-executed shot just 25 minutes into the game. Before the half-time break, Zwane scored his brace after intercepting a Deon Hotto pass and dazzling through the Namibian defence.
The score was 3-0 at halftime.
The Namibian team made two changes at halftime, replacing Petrus Shitembi and Peter Shalulie with Betuel Mazeu and Ngero Katua. With two changes, the Brave Warriors won a bit of possession, but they found it hard to get the ball on
target in the second half compared to the chances created in the first half.
South Africa once again caught them on a counter and added a fourth goal in the 75th minute through Thapelo Maseko.
Namibia, now in third place, is level on three points with second-placed South Africa. Mali leads the group with four points, while Tunisia is bottom with a single point.
In an interview with the media after the game, Brave Warriors coach Collin Benjamin admitted that his team did not have their best game, but said he remains positive about their chances of making it through to the next round.
‘We did create chances, which shows character and content. The way these guys played shows that they still have fighting spirit. With the right mindset, we can go back and fight for a spot in the round of 16,’ said Benjamin.
Namibia will play their last group game against Mali in San Pedro on 24 January 2024.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency