Nam U17s aim to defeat Burundi

THE Namibian Under 17 national football side is aiming to beat Burundi in the second leg of the African Junior Championships at the Independence Stadium this Saturday.

The two teams drew one-all when they clashed in Bujumbura last week. A draw or a loss to the Burundians will see the Namibian Under 17s out of the junior championship race.The Namibian youths came from behind in the second half after Burundi opened the scoring through a penalty in the first half.This time, Namibia Under 17 coach, Brian Isaacs said his side was going for a win and would not settle for a draw or a loss.The young Namibian side took to the grounds earlier this week to prepare for the crucial encounter.A victory for Namibia will see the Under 17s taking on Congo in November.Isaacs told The Namibian Sport yesterday that a win was a must for the team as they will be playing at home.”We are happy that we have most of our key players and there should be no excuse to let it slip at home.Although we had difficulty in some players not being released by their parents as they are scholars, we are confident that we will do well with the current 18 players in camp,” he said.Isaacs, who is assisted by Richard Starke, said his key players such as Gotlieb Nakute, Knowledge Ipinge, Simon Ouseb (Mohammed Ouseb’s brother), Lance Smith, Lazarus Kaimbi and the magnetic goalie, Maximilian Mbaeva, were in camp and that this was a bonus for his side.He admitted that his side currently lacked a playmaker, but will devise a strategy which he believes will counter the short and quick passes as well as the great attacking abilities of the young Burundians.”They attacked from the first minute when we played there, but the work rate of our players was high and we managed to contain them.Mbaeva made great saves that could have costed us the game, while the defenders also did a superb job,” said Isaacs.The side, which in spite of little attention in terms of marketing compared to the Brave Warriors by the Namibia Football Association (NFA), are determined and highly motivated.Isaacs argues that the encounter has not received enough publicity and has been played down by the football authorities only because it is a junior side.Despite that, the team is expected to up their match fitness levels with two friendlies this week, before engaging the Burundians.They will first play against a senior side of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) today, a move Isaacs said was meant to give his players tougher opposition.Kick-off time for today’s match is 15h30 at the Independence Stadium.On Thursday, they will take on the national Under 19 team which is due to leave for Sweden for the Gothia Cup.Kick-off for tomorrow’s match is 19h00, also at the Independence Stadium.*In other results of the same competition, Rwanda drew 1-1 against Tanzania, while the Central African Republic buried Congo 3-0.Botswana ended on the losing side against Lesotho, falling 2-0.A draw or a loss to the Burundians will see the Namibian Under 17s out of the junior championship race.The Namibian youths came from behind in the second half after Burundi opened the scoring through a penalty in the first half.This time, Namibia Under 17 coach, Brian Isaacs said his side was going for a win and would not settle for a draw or a loss.The young Namibian side took to the grounds earlier this week to prepare for the crucial encounter.A victory for Namibia will see the Under 17s taking on Congo in November.Isaacs told The Namibian Sport yesterday that a win was a must for the team as they will be playing at home.”We are happy that we have most of our key players and there should be no excuse to let it slip at home.Although we had difficulty in some players not being released by their parents as they are scholars, we are confident that we will do well with the current 18 players in camp,” he said.Isaacs, who is assisted by Richard Starke, said his key players such as Gotlieb Nakute, Knowledge Ipinge, Simon Ouseb (Mohammed Ouseb’s brother), Lance Smith, Lazarus Kaimbi and the magnetic goalie, Maximilian Mbaeva, were in camp and that this was a bonus for his side.He admitted that his side currently lacked a playmaker, but will devise a strategy which he believes will counter the short and quick passes as well as the great attacking abilities of the young Burundians.”They attacked from the first minute when we played there, but the work rate of our players was high and we managed to contain them.Mbaeva made great saves that could have costed us the game, while the defenders also did a superb job,” said Isaacs.The side, which in spite of little attention in terms of marketing compared to the Brave Warriors by the Namibia Football Association (NFA), are determined and highly motivated.Isaacs argues that the encounter has not received enough publicity and has been played down by the football authorities only because it is a junior side.Despite that, the team is expected to up their match fitness levels with two friendlies this week, before engaging the Burundians.They will first play against a senior side of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) today, a move Isaacs said was meant to give his players tougher opposition.Kick-off time for today’s match is 15h30 at the Independence Stadium.On Thursday, they will take on the national Under 19 team which is due to leave for Sweden for the Gothia Cup.Kick-off for tomorrow’s match is 19h00, also at the Independence Stadium.*In other results of the same competition, Rwanda drew 1-1 against Tanzania, while the Central African Republic buried Congo 3-0.Botswana ended on the losing side against Lesotho, falling 2-0.