Saudi Arabia beat Namibia 1-0

SAUDI Arabia beat Namibia 1-0 in a friendly soccer match in Riyadh on Friday evening.

The winning goal came via midfielder Taysir Al-Jassim in the 15th minute of the first half after a loss of concentration and a defensive mix-up by Namibia. According to the NFA’s acting secretary general, Barry Rukoro, who accompanied the team, Oliver Risser hesitated in going into a tackle.Saudi Arabia immediately pounced on to the loose ball and caught Namibia’s defence flat footed as they broke through to score the winning goal.”It was a silly goal to concede, but on the whole, the boys gave a very good account of themselves,” Rukoro told Namibia Sport.”They played very well and had the home team under pressure in the second half.We created numerous chances and Rudolph Bester and new cap Pinias Jacob each missed two clear-cut chances,” he said.Rukoro gave credit to the whole team but singled out Athiel Mbaha in goal, Michael Pienaar in defence, Quinton Jacobs in midfield and Pinias Jacob in attack.”Quinton had a great game in midfield and he will be a central figure for Namibia in Ghana.Pinias Jacob played very well on his debut and on the whole, everyone played with a lot of confidence,” he said.NAM TO PLAY TUNISIA The Namibian team included only two foreign-based players in Oliver Risser and Quinton Jacobs and according to Rukoro they are growing with every match.”The team played with a lot more confidence and put in a good performance against a strong team in their own backyard.The team is ready to start winning matches now and I will be surprised if we lose our next friendly to Tunisia,” he said.Namibia play Tunisia in Tunis on November 17, but Rukoro said they were trying to organise a friendly in Windhoek after that so that Namibian fans could also see their team in action.He however said that negotiations were still ongoing and could not say who the opponents would be.namibiasport.com.naAccording to the NFA’s acting secretary general, Barry Rukoro, who accompanied the team, Oliver Risser hesitated in going into a tackle.Saudi Arabia immediately pounced on to the loose ball and caught Namibia’s defence flat footed as they broke through to score the winning goal.”It was a silly goal to concede, but on the whole, the boys gave a very good account of themselves,” Rukoro told Namibia Sport.”They played very well and had the home team under pressure in the second half.We created numerous chances and Rudolph Bester and new cap Pinias Jacob each missed two clear-cut chances,” he said.Rukoro gave credit to the whole team but singled out Athiel Mbaha in goal, Michael Pienaar in defence, Quinton Jacobs in midfield and Pinias Jacob in attack.”Quinton had a great game in midfield and he will be a central figure for Namibia in Ghana.Pinias Jacob played very well on his debut and on the whole, everyone played with a lot of confidence,” he said.NAM TO PLAY TUNISIA The Namibian team included only two foreign-based players in Oliver Risser and Quinton Jacobs and according to Rukoro they are growing with every match.”The team played with a lot more confidence and put in a good performance against a strong team in their own backyard.The team is ready to start winning matches now and I will be surprised if we lose our next friendly to Tunisia,” he said.Namibia play Tunisia in Tunis on November 17, but Rukoro said they were trying to organise a friendly in Windhoek after that so that Namibian fans could also see their team in action.He however said that negotiations were still ongoing and could not say who the opponents would be.namibiasport.com.na