Civics demolish Esparanca

CIVICS showed why they are the Namibian league champions when they tore apart an out-of-sorts Sagrada Esperanca side from Angola 4-0 in their first-leg football match of the CAF Champions League at the Independence Stadium on Saturday.

The Angolans, who were visibly outplayed by the home side, were already 4-0 down at the break, with Zambian-born Civics striker William Chilufya picking up a hat-trick in the process. Chilufya became the first player to score a hat-trick against a foreign side at the Independence Stadium in the competition, while his team also made history by recording the highest scoring margin against such a team.Civics recorded their first victory in the competition after they failed to pull victories at their first appearance against SuperSport United of South Africa about two years ago.Chilufya opened the scoring through a long pass from the right flank by veteran midfielder Congo Hindjou, who on the day also made his comeback after a long layoff.Chilufya coolly controlled the ball and wasted no time by striking a perfect grass-cutter which evaded goalkeeper Matumona Lundala in the fifth minute.The pacy Chilufya, who was the automatic man of the match after the game, struck his second in a similar fashion after a clever back-heel pass from Hindjou on the edge of the box to give his side a 2-0 lead by the 11th minute.He completed his hat-trick in the 39th minute with a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box after a long pass from midfield, once again leaving goalkeeper Lundala in no man’s land.The overlapping defensive midfielder Brian Brendell added the fourth in the 42nd minute as he squeezed it at the near post after Civics launched yet another attack from the wings.Despite their three-week training camp in Brazil, the Angolan side seemed unfit and their game plan was hopeless as no player stood out among them.Esperanca’s well-built players did not intimidate the medium-sized, but skilful Civics players who controlled the midfield with distinction, especially with the presence of Hindjou and Jamunovandu Ngatjizeko.Civics midfielder Heinrich Isaacs combined well with his frontline, which was led by Chilufya and Wildred Mazembe.At the back, Mentos Hipondoka and Donelly Nell stood tall for their team and their tackles were of significance as goalkeeper Zico Paulus hardly had a busy day at the office, despite two great saves he made in the in the first half.Captain Amos Shiyuka was replaced midway through the first half after he showed signs of fatigue due to a lack of match fitness.It was the third champions league match in which Shiyuka played on Saturday, but he has been out of action since last season due to a knee injury.The match was less explosive in the second half, but Yenveni Ngidi of Esperanca had a good chance to put points on the board for as his shot from about 20 metres flew over the cross bar.Another shot from Edgar Jeronimo also failed to hit the target in 59th minute as he pulled it wide, while another from Moises de Almeida a few minutes later, was not as effective.The 4-0 margin has put Civics in a commanding position and they will now be expected to play their second leg match in Angola on March 4.The Namibians had little time to have warm-up matches leading to the encounter on Saturday due to league commitments, but it seemed that their clashes against the local opponents have made them more than ready.Civics administrative secretary Tim Isaacs said after the match that he was happy about the win and was pleased with the quality of football displayed by his team.”If we can beat such teams and play that type of football.I am confident that Namibian football will build on this,” he said.Civics played excellent carpet football with quick, short passes making work difficult for their opponents who were banking on aerial balls, especially in the box.The visitors basically failed to maintain a high level of competition despite having top players such as Ngidi, Richard Andia and Lakuya Mbala, who are all national team players of the DR Congo.The visitors lacked vision in midfield and their defence was largely exposed on many occasions due to little communication between the defenders and the goalkeeper.At times, most of the Esperanca players appeared to be out of breath as they did not chase after long balls, but the underlining factor was that their competitiveness on such a level left much to be desired.Civics celebrated the victory in style after the fans were treated to a spectacular music performance by local artists.Chilufya became the first player to score a hat-trick against a foreign side at the Independence Stadium in the competition, while his team also made history by recording the highest scoring margin against such a team.Civics recorded their first victory in the competition after they failed to pull victories at their first appearance against SuperSport United of South Africa about two years ago. Chilufya opened the scoring through a long pass from the right flank by veteran midfielder Congo Hindjou, who on the day also made his comeback after a long layoff.Chilufya coolly controlled the ball and wasted no time by striking a perfect grass-cutter which evaded goalkeeper Matumona Lundala in the fifth minute.The pacy Chilufya, who was the automatic man of the match after the game, struck his second in a similar fashion after a clever back-heel pass from Hindjou on the edge of the box to give his side a 2-0 lead by the 11th minute.He completed his hat-trick in the 39th minute with a brilliant low shot from the edge of the box after a long pass from midfield, once again leaving goalkeeper Lundala in no man’s land.The overlapping defensive midfielder Brian Brendell added the fourth in the 42nd minute as he squeezed it at the near post after Civics launched yet another attack from the wings.Despite their three-week training camp in Brazil, the Angolan side seemed unfit and their game plan was hopeless as no player stood out among them.Esperanca’s well-built players did not intimidate the medium-sized, but skilful Civics players who controlled the midfield with distinction, especially with the presence of Hindjou and Jamunovandu Ngatjizeko.Civics midfielder Heinrich Isaacs combined well with his frontline, which was led by Chilufya and Wildred Mazembe.At the back, Mentos Hipondoka and Donelly Nell stood tall for their team and their tackles were of significance as goalkeeper Zico Paulus hardly had a busy day at the office, despite two great saves he made in the in the first half.Captain Amos Shiyuka was replaced midway through the first half after he showed signs of fatigue due to a lack of match fitness.It was the third champions league match in which Shiyuka played on Saturday, but he has been out of action since last season due to a knee injury.The match was less explosive in the second half, but Yenveni Ngidi of Esperanca had a good chance to put points on the board for as his shot from about 20 metres flew over the cross bar.Another shot from Edgar Jeronimo also failed to hit the target in 59th minute as he pulled it wide, while another from Moises de Almeida a few minutes later, was not as effective.The 4-0 margin has put Civics in a commanding position and they will now be expected to play their second leg match in Angola on March 4.The Namibians had little time to have warm-up matches leading to the encounter on Saturday due to league commitments, but it seemed that their clashes against the local opponents have made them more than ready.Civics administrative secretary Tim Isaacs said after the match that he was happy about the win and was pleased with the quality of football displayed by his team.”If we can beat such teams and play that type of football.I am confident that Namibian football will build on this,” he said.Civics played excellent carpet football with quick, short passes making work difficult for their opponents who were banking on aerial balls, especially in the box.The visitors basically failed to maintain a high level of competition despite having top players such as Ngidi, Richard Andia and Lakuya Mbala, who are all natio
nal team players of the DR Congo.The visitors lacked vision in midfield and their defence was largely exposed on many occasions due to little communication between the defenders and the goalkeeper.At times, most of the Esperanca players appeared to be out of breath as they did not chase after long balls, but the underlining factor was that their competitiveness on such a level left much to be desired.Civics celebrated the victory in style after the fans were treated to a spectacular music performance by local artists.