Namibia secured a convincing 8-4 victory over Kenya in the first leg of their Africa Cup of Nations futsal qualifier at the Dome on Swakopmund on Friday.
The crowd turned out in large numbers to support the national team, but it was the visitors who struck first. Kenya raced into a 2-0 lead inside the opening five minutes through Mike Otieno and Anas Cheik.
The Brave Five responded positively, showing composure and intensity to claw their way back into the contest, much to the delight of the home supporters, as they gained control of the match.
The second half belonged entirely to Namibia. George Haikali extended the lead early after the restart before Ken Salote stole the show with an impressive four-goal haul, as the hosts pulled away decisively.
Kenya’s Harambee Sambas managed only two second-half goals, scored by Mohamed Yusuf and Anas Cheik, as Namibia sealed a dominant first-leg advantage ahead of the return fixture in Nairobi.
Namibia head coach Marco Antunes describes the performance as a potentially historic result and praises the attitude of his players.
“We played against an excellent team, and this result could be a historic one,” Antunes says. “We still have things to improve, but I am very happy because we prepared ourselves to win, and now the objective is to go to Nairobi and win again.”
Antunes highlights the impact of the home supporters, saying the crowd played a key role during difficult moments of the match.
“The public had an excellent attitude. In the worst moments, they helped the team and brought us results,” he says. “I hope futsal can grow in Namibia and become a major sport like football and cricket.”
Looking ahead to the second leg, Antunes says his side would benefit from having now assessed their opponents.
“Before this match, we had no information about Kenya. Now we have it, and with hard work and training, we can improve certain moments of the game and go to Kenya to score goals and create difficulties for them,” he adds.
Kenya head coach James Omondi says the match provided valuable experience for his young squad, despite the defeat.
“It was a very good game and a good learning experience for us,” Omondi says. “This is the first time we are playing at this level, and we came with young players. It is not a bad result, but we lost many chances.”
Omondi admits that tactical shortcomings played a role in the loss but remains confident ahead of the home leg.
“We lost it a bit on tactics and did not get it right, but we will work on it,” he says. “We need to improve our off-the-ball movement because most of the goals we conceded came from switching off defensively. We believe we can give them a very good game back home.”
The second leg is slated for 28 January in Nairobi.
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