Confidence grows in football

BOTH the national under-23 and the senior football sides have renewed optimism about the future of the game in Namibia, despite losing away from home in their respective qualifiers at the weekend.

The optimism will be drawn from the narrow margins by which they lost, with the under-23s only going down 1-0 in their Olympic Games qualifier against South Africa, while the Brave Warriors were pipped 3-2 by the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both teams played o Sunday, with the junior side taking on their counterparts at Olen Park in Potchefstroom, while the senior team played their match in Kinshasa.The under-23 side stand a better chance of pulling off a win by at least scoring a goal and preventing their counterparts from doing so when they meet in Windhoek on October 2.The South Africans in their match on Sunday struggled to break down the Namibian defence, but had an advantage in midfield and at times on the wings where they pressured the visitors.Despite that, the home side failed to convert their chances, while the Namibians also led themselves down by not showing more aggression in front of goal, as several of their shots that could have made the difference went astray.In DRC, the senior side held their counterparts to a 1-1 draw at half-time and scored their second goal midway through the second half to lead 2-1 at one stage, before DRC came back strongly in the later stages of the encounter with two more goals.Namibia Football Association (NFA) acting president John Muinjo believes that the performances by the two teams were satisfactory.”In my opinion they did well, considering that they played away from home.The senior side especially did well by at least scoring those two goals away from home.Generally it is difficult to score goals in away matches and I just hope that we will capitalise when we host them here,” he said.Namibia’s Brave Warriors will next play against the DRC in Windhoek on the weekend of October 6, 7 and 8.Muinjo was also full of praise for the under-23 side under the guidance of coach Bobby Samaria and his assistant, Wagga Wagga Goagoseb.”I think the South Africans were not that strong and I firmly believe that at home the players will give a much better performance,” he said.Former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman Anton van Wyk was also convinced that the two teams would do much better on home ground.”To me, both results were good.We did not lose by big margins and it will be easier for us to catch up.We will have home-ground advantage and this plays a big role in how the team plays on the day,” he said.Both teams have been actively involved in matches for the past two months, with the senior team completing two matches during the Cosafa Castle Cup and a further three friendly matches.The Warriors have so far played against Seychelles, Malawi, South Africa, and the South African club sides Mamelodi Sundowns and Jomo Cosmos.The under-23 side played against Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique ahead of their clash in South Africa.In fact, Namibian football has seen a lot of activity on the national front in recent months, with the under-20s being the first to get the ball rolling after being involved in the Zone Six Youth Games held in Windhoek between June and July.The Brave Gladiators women’s side impressed all with their fantastic feat in the Women’s Cosafa Cup held in Zambia recently, where they won a silver medal after playing in the final against South Africa.Football lovers will be treated to a host of football matches in the coming months, with the Olympic Games, Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers and several other tournaments continuing.Both teams played o Sunday, with the junior side taking on their counterparts at Olen Park in Potchefstroom, while the senior team played their match in Kinshasa.The under-23 side stand a better chance of pulling off a win by at least scoring a goal and preventing their counterparts from doing so when they meet in Windhoek on October 2.The South Africans in their match on Sunday struggled to break down the Namibian defence, but had an advantage in midfield and at times on the wings where they pressured the visitors.Despite that, the home side failed to convert their chances, while the Namibians also led themselves down by not showing more aggression in front of goal, as several of their shots that could have made the difference went astray.In DRC, the senior side held their counterparts to a 1-1 draw at half-time and scored their second goal midway through the second half to lead 2-1 at one stage, before DRC came back strongly in the later stages of the encounter with two more goals.Namibia Football Association (NFA) acting president John Muinjo believes that the performances by the two teams were satisfactory.”In my opinion they did well, considering that they played away from home.The senior side especially did well by at least scoring those two goals away from home.Generally it is difficult to score goals in away matches and I just hope that we will capitalise when we host them here,” he said.Namibia’s Brave Warriors will next play against the DRC in Windhoek on the weekend of October 6, 7 and 8.Muinjo was also full of praise for the under-23 side under the guidance of coach Bobby Samaria and his assistant, Wagga Wagga Goagoseb.”I think the South Africans were not that strong and I firmly believe that at home the players will give a much better performance,” he said.Former Namibia Premier League (NPL) chairman Anton van Wyk was also convinced that the two teams would do much better on home ground.”To me, both results were good.We did not lose by big margins and it will be easier for us to catch up.We will have home-ground advantage and this plays a big role in how the team plays on the day,” he said.Both teams have been actively involved in matches for the past two months, with the senior team completing two matches during the Cosafa Castle Cup and a further three friendly matches.The Warriors have so far played against Seychelles, Malawi, South Africa, and the South African club sides Mamelodi Sundowns and Jomo Cosmos.The under-23 side played against Tanzania, Angola and Mozambique ahead of their clash in South Africa.In fact, Namibian football has seen a lot of activity on the national front in recent months, with the under-20s being the first to get the ball rolling after being involved in the Zone Six Youth Games held in Windhoek between June and July.The Brave Gladiators women’s side impressed all with their fantastic feat in the Women’s Cosafa Cup held in Zambia recently, where they won a silver medal after playing in the final against South Africa.Football lovers will be treated to a host of football matches in the coming months, with the Olympic Games, Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers and several other tournaments continuing.