WINDHOEK – A 10-man African Stars Football Club dropped two valuable points when they were held to a 1-1 draw by coastal side Eleven Arrows during the 2018/19 MTC Namibia Premier League (NPL) match played Friday evening at Sam Nujoma Stadium.
Stars started off brightly and their Comoros import Youssouf Ibroihim was the first to threaten in the 14th minute when he missed a simple tap-in from close range.
However, Arrows grew into the game as they also came close to opening their account through Anthony Kham.
But it was Stars who took a deserved lead when Zimbabwean import Crispen Mbewe’s shot was parried for a corner kick by Arrows goalkeeper Tinashe Dzambara.
From the resulting corner, national team fringe striker Panduleni Nekundi converted with a header to give Stars a 1-0 lead at the halftime break.
The second half was a different ball game as Arrows dominated the midfield and ball possession.
However, the first real chance of the second half came from Ibroihim whose shot was punched directly to teammate substitute Rodger Katjiteo.
The former national team striker’s effort was also tipped over the bar for a corner kick.
In the 56th minute Arrows had a penalty appeal waved away by the referee as they pushed harder for an equaliser.
Two minutes later, Aprocius Petrus of Arrows missed the target with centimetres from a free kick at the edge of the box.
With the pressure mounting, Stars were dealt a severe blow when captain Dennis Tjetjinda was shown a straight red card for dissent.
The red card saw the visitors push forward in numbers with the aim of salvaging a point and they were duly rewarded when substitute Patrick Naweb headed in the equaliser in the 94th minute to grab a valuable point for Arrows.
In the other match, Black Africa beat Blue Waters 3-0 to open a six-point gap at the top.
BA are now on 41 points, while African Stars are on 35 points from 17 matches played this far.
In matches on Saturday, Orlando Pirates beat Okahandja United 1-0, Julinho Sporting beat Civics 2-0, and Young Brazilians and Mighty Gunners drew 1-1. – Nampa
