FC Ongos Ladies won the FNB Women Super League title in dramatic style on Saturday, after their main rivals Mighty Gunners buckled under the pressure on the final day.
Going into the final round of matches, Gunners held the advantage with a one-point lead over FC Ongos at the top of the log, and a victory against Windhoek City at the capital’s Independence Stadium would have guaranteed them the title for the second year in a row.
At the same time, however, Ongos took on Julinho Athletic at the Julinho Athletic field and increased the pressure on Gunners as they streaked into a 3-0 lead by half-time.
Memory Ngonda opened the scoring midway through the first half, and further goals by Boitumelo Gammu in the 34th minute and Ivonne Kooper (40th minute) all but secured their victory.
At Independence Stadium, Gunners had numerous scoring chances but could not finish them off as Windhoek City held out for a goalless draw, with Ongos snatching the title at the death, finishing a single point ahead of Gunners on 55 to 54.
Ongos players, following the final minutes of the Gunners match on video on their cellphones, erupted with joy at the final whistle as they reclaimed the league title from Gunners while winning it for the third time in the past four seasons.
FC Ongos coach Shammah Gure after the match said it was an incredible feeling.
“I’m very excited. It’s a feeling I can’t explain. It feels like a Manchester City and Arsenal affair, and we had to wait for it. It was a nerve-wracking last three minutes, but I guess the football gods pronounced themselves on who the winners will be at the end of the day,” he said.
“We had the lead at some point in the title race, but we gave it up, so then we had to motivate the girls and remind them it’s not over until the fat lady sings, and this was evident today,” Gure said.
“We put in a lot of work. We wanted to finish the season off in style, regardless of the other results, and our focus was not on what was happening in the other match, but on what we needed to do as a club and also as individuals. We give God the glory for the results,” he said.
Ongos national midfielder Memory Ngonda said she was proud of her teammates.
“I didn’t think we would make it and that Windhoek City would help us with a draw. We just gave it our best because we wanted to win the league. We wanted to go forward and participate in the Champions League, so we feel great. I’m so excited that we made it. I feel proud and I’m so happy for my team,” she said.
“This time there were a lot of challenges and the teams were tough; it was not like in the past, but it’s good to have a challenging league so that the champion is undecided till the end,” Ngonda said.
By contrast, Gunners coach Salome Iyambo said she was devastated.
“It’s devastating. I feel very bad, but that’s the nature of the game: You win some, you lose some, and this was one of those deciding moments we could not uphold.
“I think you saw the girls tried their level best, but the final goal was not coming so we had to settle for a draw, even though we wanted to win it,” she said.
“I think we made some mistakes we need to correct going into the next season. Some I’ll take as a coach in terms of my tactical approach, and some I’ll need to improve my team and not to repeat those simple mistakes where we lost unnecessary points and just make sure we make every game count,” Iyambo said.
In other results on Saturday, Khomas Nampol beat Desert Foxes 3-0, African Stars Queens beat Mighty Angels 4-1, VPower Angels beat Nust Babes 1-0, and Arrows Ladies beat Unam Bokkies 1-0.
Leena Alweendo of Mighty Gunners Ladies received N$25 000 in total after winning the player of the season and the top goalscorer awards.
She received N$10 000 as the top goalscorer, with 22 goals in 22 matches, finishing four goals ahead of team mate Fiola Vliete, while she also received N$15 000 as the player of the season.
Ongos’ South African goalkeeper, Zoleka Nkabinde, won the goalkeeper of the season award worth N$10 000, after keeping 11 clean sheets in 13 matches.
