NAMIBIA were sent packing from the Cosafa U/20 Youth Championships after they lost 4-3 to Angola on Tuesday night.
Namibia let a 3-1 lead slip with only half an hour remaining in the match as their opponents wrested the win from them.The match turned on its head when Angola were awarded a penalty and Namibian defender Okeri Maekopi was red-carded for excessive protestations.Angola immediately capitalised, scoring three goals to win the match and book a place in the semifinals of the competition, where they will meet Malawi.Nicolu Adriano scored a hat-trick for Angola while Paciencia Cristovao scored their winning goal in the 89th minute.Benson Shilongo scored a brace for Namibia but missed a sitter just before halftime, while Petrus Shitembi scored one goal.Angola took the lead on 11 minutes when Adriano rounded Namibia’s keeper Collin Ndjai to fire into the net.Namibia however equalised on 27 minutes through a brilliant free-kick by Petrus Shitembi that curled into the top corner of the net.Ten minutes later Namibia took the lead for the first time when Benson Shilongo slotted home from close range, but on the stroke of halftime Shilongo missed a sitter with an open goalmouth gaping.Shilongo put Namibia 3-1 ahead with his second goal on 61 minutes, but the match took a dramatic turn a minute later when the referee awarded a penalty to Angola and Namibian defender Okeri Maekopi was sent off for excessive protests.Angola immediately capitalised with Adriano scoring from the spot to make the score 3-2.Angola turned up the tempo and equalised on 74 minutes when Adriano grabbed his hat-trick.With a minute remaining Paciencia Cristovao sealed Angola’s victory when he sped past Ndjai to score from an acute angle.Angola will now play Malawi while the defending champions Zambia will meet Botswana in the semifinals.Angola, who only needed a draw to progress to the last four as group winners, will now play Malawi on Thursday. – namibiasport.com.na
