Khomas retain Newspaper Cup

DEFENDING champions Khomas retained The Namibian Newspaper Cup, beating Hardap 4-1 at the Oshakati Independence Stadium yesterday.

Khomas won the trophy at Gobabis last year for the first time. On their way to the final, Khomas dismissed Omusati 2-1 in their opening match, before beating Kavango 5-4 on penalties in a highly charged encounter that saw the teams level at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.Khomas, as defending champions, entered the fray in the second round after a bye.Hardap trounced Oshana 3-1 in their first match before defeating Karas 3-0.In their semi-final, Hardap dismissed Omaheke by a goal to nil.In yesterday’s final, Khomas opened the scorecard in the sixth minute when Wycliff Eiseb shot the ball past Brian Spiegel from just outside the goal.Khomas’s lead was short-lived:Hardap’s forward Dawid Goeieman hit back three minutes later.Khomas had more opportunities as their attackers appeared hungrier for goals.Chances were missed by Lazarus Kaimbi, who was voted man-of-the-match, and Clarence Kauaita in the dying minutes of the first half.Kaimbi, who combined well with Kauaita up front, missed the upright by a few inches, while Kauaita’s goal-bound shot was well saved by Spiegel.Kaimbi’s moment came in the 33rd minute when he scored after a shot from Laban Gawanab was parried back into play by Spiegel.Khomas led 2-0 at half-time.At the start of the second half, Hardap came close to levelling the score, but captain Brian Brendell failed to convert the chance.A beautifully struck volley from Hardap’s Abraham Eichab in the 66th minute just went wide, while a long range shot from Petrus Salon was well saved by lanky Khomas goalie, Efraim Tjihonge.Kauaita got a chance to add a goal in the 81st minute and he did it in brilliant style, capitalising on a defensive error.Hardap playmaker Hans Witbooi, who was also chosen for The Namibian’s Shadow team, found himself in an awkward position a few metres in front of the goal.He failed to clear the ball and Kauaita picked it up before ramming it past goalie Spiegel.In the 85th minute, a communication breakdown between Witbooi and Spiegel led to another goal for Khomas.Kauaita was once again the man on target.Witbooi, who played his heart out to help his team reach the finals, was visibly disappointed, standing against the upright with his hands on his head.* In the losers final, Oshikoto beat Erongo 2-0.* Max Mbaeva of Omaheke was voted Player of the Tournament.Mbaeva made several fantastic saves against the Brave Warriors after coming on as a substitute for the The Namibian Shadow team in the second half.The Brave Warriors were given a fright by the Shadow Team on Sunday night, eventually winning 3-2 win.The 16-year old Mbaeva also walked off with the Goalkeeper of the Tournament Award.The Fair Play Award went to Hardap, while Etienne Beukes, also from Hardap, shared the Top Goalscorer award with Erongo’s Bernardus Nowaseb.Winners Khomas received a silver plate, N$13 000 and gold medals, while runners-up Hardap pocketed N$6 500 and silver medals.On their way to the final, Khomas dismissed Omusati 2-1 in their opening match, before beating Kavango 5-4 on penalties in a highly charged encounter that saw the teams level at 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes.Khomas, as defending champions, entered the fray in the second round after a bye.Hardap trounced Oshana 3-1 in their first match before defeating Karas 3-0.In their semi-final, Hardap dismissed Omaheke by a goal to nil.In yesterday’s final, Khomas opened the scorecard in the sixth minute when Wycliff Eiseb shot the ball past Brian Spiegel from just outside the goal.Khomas’s lead was short-lived:Hardap’s forward Dawid Goeieman hit back three minutes later.Khomas had more opportunities as their attackers appeared hungrier for goals.Chances were missed by Lazarus Kaimbi, who was voted man-of-the-match, and Clarence Kauaita in the dying minutes of the first half.Kaimbi, who combined well with Kauaita up front, missed the upright by a few inches, while Kauaita’s goal-bound shot was well saved by Spiegel.Kaimbi’s moment came in the 33rd minute when he scored after a shot from Laban Gawanab was parried back into play by Spiegel.Khomas led 2-0 at half-time.At the start of the second half, Hardap came close to levelling the score, but captain Brian Brendell failed to convert the chance.A beautifully struck volley from Hardap’s Abraham Eichab in the 66th minute just went wide, while a long range shot from Petrus Salon was well saved by lanky Khomas goalie, Efraim Tjihonge.Kauaita got a chance to add a goal in the 81st minute and he did it in brilliant style, capitalising on a defensive error.Hardap playmaker Hans Witbooi, who was also chosen for The Namibian’s Shadow team, found himself in an awkward position a few metres in front of the goal.He failed to clear the ball and Kauaita picked it up before ramming it past goalie Spiegel.In the 85th minute, a communication breakdown between Witbooi and Spiegel led to another goal for Khomas.Kauaita was once again the man on target.Witbooi, who played his heart out to help his team reach the finals, was visibly disappointed, standing against the upright with his hands on his head.* In the losers final, Oshikoto beat Erongo 2-0.* Max Mbaeva of Omaheke was voted Player of the Tournament.Mbaeva made several fantastic saves against the Brave Warriors after coming on as a substitute for the The Namibian Shadow team in the second half.The Brave Warriors were given a fright by the Shadow Team on Sunday night, eventually winning 3-2 win.The 16-year old Mbaeva also walked off with the Goalkeeper of the Tournament Award.The Fair Play Award went to Hardap, while Etienne Beukes, also from Hardap, shared the Top Goalscorer award with Erongo’s Bernardus Nowaseb.Winners Khomas received a silver plate, N$13 000 and gold medals, while runners-up Hardap pocketed N$6 500 and silver medals.