Old Warriors down Dr Khumalo side

A visiting Dr Khumalo and Friends football side and former Brave Warriors players provided some great entertainment in a match that the home side won 3-2 in front of a jam-packed Independence Stadium on Saturday.

The win, although it was a friendly match, underlined NamibiaŽs dominance on home soil as they have now beaten the South Africans three times. Namibia beat South Africa in two consecutive Cosafa Castle Cup matches in 1998 and 1999.The match on Saturday was part of MTC’s 10th anniversary celebrations, which were topped with a spectacular music performance by local and South African artists.The match attracted one of the biggest crowds in a long time and this was reminiscent to the two matches played against South Africa in the 90s.Security and football officials at the gates had their hands full with the people still streaming in after the match had begun.There was mayhem outside the stadium and at one stage security personnel had to deal with fans who tried to force their way into the stadium.Football officials only made provision for one entrance, which proved to be problematic on the day.The match was a major attraction because most people wanted to see old masters such as Phil Masinga, Doctor Khumalo, Neil Tovey and John Moetie doing their tricks.The players of both teams demonstrated their skill and experience, giving a highly entertaining performance.South Africa seemed to be destined for victory when Edward Motale opened their scoring.Motale’s goal sent the crowd into a frenzy, but the spectators were even more vocal when Congo Hindjou converted a penalty to level matters.With Ronnie Kanalelo in goal and captaining the local team, he proved that he still has safe hands after the South African attack led by Masinga tried their luck several times in the first half.Khumalo made things happen for his team in the engine room, while Moeti also played a major role by keeping it steady at the back.Despite that, the Namibian forwards made a breakthrough when substitute Cascas Angula tapped in past goalkeeper Steve Crowley before halftime to make it 2-1.This goal in fact inspired the South Africans to pick up their game as they started knocking the ball around as they were searching for an equaliser.The Namibian defence, which had former Africa Stars hardman Bimbo Tjihero, did a sterling job throughout the match, while Orlando Haraseb and Tiger Goagoseb also threw in their weight to keep it clean at the back.Tjihero made several crucial interceptions and was mostly in time to clear the ball before his opposition got to it.The combination of midfielders Ricardo Mannetti, Lolo Goraseb and Congo Hindjou proved invaluable for the locals as they created numerous chances for their forwards.Gerros Witbeen, who led the Namibian attack, launched at least two strikes that flew past the goalposts in the second half, while Hindjou who found himself in a scoring position also struck wide.In the opening minutes of the second half, Cascas Angula hit the net with his trademark header after a perfect cross from Sandro de Gouveia.This goal clearly gave the Namibians a boost and this could be seen in their play, as they connected good passes and were constantly pushing forward for goals.Midway through the second half, Crowley injured his finger and was replaced by Ntsie Mphamfike who did not do badly in goal.Khumalo, who is well known for his magical footwork with the ball, showed the 10 000-strong crowd that he still had some left when he put his tricks to work.For the local team, the introduction of Lucky Richter also saw the same tricks on the part of the stocky forward.Bobby Samaria, who came on as a double substitution with Richter, showed his experience and commanded the midfield with great authority and showed a fantastic sense of vision.Namibia held on to their lead, but a fabulous header from Masinga brought the South Africans back into the match.Masinga pounced on a John Moetie cross to put the ball away.Danzyl Bruwer came in for Kanalelo and made several good saves as South Africa was threatening the Namibian goal with shots from distance on several occasions.The final whistle sent the crowd into a celebratory mood and this could be seen as some rushed onto the pitch, only to storm back to the stands as the security guards fired warning shots.In earlier friendly matches, African Stars beat Tigers 4-2, while Orlando Pirates walked away with a 1-0 victory over Black Africa.Namibia beat South Africa in two consecutive Cosafa Castle Cup matches in 1998 and 1999.The match on Saturday was part of MTC’s 10th anniversary celebrations, which were topped with a spectacular music performance by local and South African artists.The match attracted one of the biggest crowds in a long time and this was reminiscent to the two matches played against South Africa in the 90s.Security and football officials at the gates had their hands full with the people still streaming in after the match had begun.There was mayhem outside the stadium and at one stage security personnel had to deal with fans who tried to force their way into the stadium.Football officials only made provision for one entrance, which proved to be problematic on the day.The match was a major attraction because most people wanted to see old masters such as Phil Masinga, Doctor Khumalo, Neil Tovey and John Moetie doing their tricks.The players of both teams demonstrated their skill and experience, giving a highly entertaining performance.South Africa seemed to be destined for victory when Edward Motale opened their scoring.Motale’s goal sent the crowd into a frenzy, but the spectators were even more vocal when Congo Hindjou converted a penalty to level matters.With Ronnie Kanalelo in goal and captaining the local team, he proved that he still has safe hands after the South African attack led by Masinga tried their luck several times in the first half.Khumalo made things happen for his team in the engine room, while Moeti also played a major role by keeping it steady at the back.Despite that, the Namibian forwards made a breakthrough when substitute Cascas Angula tapped in past goalkeeper Steve Crowley before halftime to make it 2-1.This goal in fact inspired the South Africans to pick up their game as they started knocking the ball around as they were searching for an equaliser.The Namibian defence, which had former Africa Stars hardman Bimbo Tjihero, did a sterling job throughout the match, while Orlando Haraseb and Tiger Goagoseb also threw in their weight to keep it clean at the back.Tjihero made several crucial interceptions and was mostly in time to clear the ball before his opposition got to it.The combination of midfielders Ricardo Mannetti, Lolo Goraseb and Congo Hindjou proved invaluable for the locals as they created numerous chances for their forwards.Gerros Witbeen, who led the Namibian attack, launched at least two strikes that flew past the goalposts in the second half, while Hindjou who found himself in a scoring position also struck wide.In the opening minutes of the second half, Cascas Angula hit the net with his trademark header after a perfect cross from Sandro de Gouveia.This goal clearly gave the Namibians a boost and this could be seen in their play, as they connected good passes and were constantly pushing forward for goals.Midway through the second half, Crowley injured his finger and was replaced by Ntsie Mphamfike who did not do badly in goal.Khumalo, who is well known for his magical footwork with the ball, showed the 10 000-strong crowd that he still had some left when he put his tricks to work.For the local team, the introduction of Lucky Richter also saw the same tricks on the part of the stocky forward.Bobby Samaria, who came on as a double substitution with Richter, showed his experience and commanded the midfield with great authority and showed a fantastic sense of vision.Namibia held on to their lead, but a fabulous header from Masinga brought the South Africans back into the match.Masinga pounced on a John Moetie cross to put the ball away.Danzyl Bruwer came in for Kanalelo and made several good saves as South A
frica was threatening the Namibian goal with shots from distance on several occasions.The final whistle sent the crowd into a celebratory mood and this could be seen as some rushed onto the pitch, only to storm back to the stands as the security guards fired warning shots.In earlier friendly matches, African Stars beat Tigers 4-2, while Orlando Pirates walked away with a 1-0 victory over Black Africa.