Gladiators fluff their lines

BRAVE Gladiators coach Jacqui Shipanga demanded a positive reaction from her side following their 0-2 defeat to Tanzania in a Women’s African Champions Cup first-leg qualifier in Windhoek on Saturday.

The hosts gave a timid account of themselves, as woeful defending and an equally inept frontline condemned the side to defeat at the hands of their well-drilled East African opponents. Shipanga said she expected better from her team – especially her usually reliable older guard – who looked in disarray and struggled with the tempo set by the visitors.Gladiators captain and defender Queen Manga had an uncharacteristic nervy afternoon, while veteran attacker Stella Williams’s ageing legs found the going tough against a resolute ‘Twiga Stars’ rearguard. Namibia’s best player on the day was German-based winger Thomalina Adams, whose incisive running and close control provided fleeting moments of hope. The hosts clearly missed the creative guile of injured star playmaker Zenatha Coleman as they toiled in the heat at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.’I’m disappointed with the result and also the way we played,’ said Shipanga, who hinted at giving more young players a run in the second leg.’Some of our older players struggled to get into the game and maybe we should have gone with our younger players from the start because you could see they made a difference when we made the changes.’While the Gladiators looked lethargic, the experienced Tanzanians were composed and methodical in their approach before they struck the crucial double blow. A hopeful punt from a freekick by forward Asha Rashida looped over poorly positioned Namibian goalkeeper Susanna Eises for Tanzania’s opener just after the hour mark. With the home side struggling to find an equaliser, nippy winger Omary Mwanahamisi – who had been a thorn in the Namibian defence all match – scored her side’s second with three minutes of regulation time remaining. Mwanahamisi effortlessly wriggled through a static Namibian defence to roll the ball beyond the despairing dive of Eises. Shipanga said the Gladiators would go for broke on January 28 in Dar es Salaam in a bid to overturn the deficit. ‘We can’t go out and defend. We hoped to get a good result at home and then defend that in the second leg but now we have to go all out and win,’ she said.’Hopefully we will have some of our key players back for that game and the girls will play much better.’