Namibian star Deon Hotto will face his former club African Stars in the next round of the CAF Champions League after Starlile produced a stunning 2-0 win against Gabonese side AS Mangasport at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
Stars got a crucial away goal in their 3-1 defeat a week ago in Gabon, which was the decider as they advanced 3-3 on the away goals rule.
Lawrence Doeseb opened their account on 14 minutes with a great volley from an Awilo Stephanus assist, while Liam April made it 2-0, smashing the ball into the net from the edge of the box early in the second half.
The win now puts Stars through to the second qualifying round of the competition where they will face South African league champions Orlando Pirates, who beat Le Cure Waves of Mauritius 3-1 on aggregate.
The result now sets up an intriguing reunion for Hotto, who will come up against the club he previously called home when the two sides meet in the next round.
Speaking after the match, Stars coach Ronnie Kanalelo said his team had carefully studied the first-leg defeat and worked on the mistakes that allowed Mangasport to score three goals.
“I studied the game after the first leg and analysed the whole game. We looked at how they scored their goals and today was a different scenario,” Kanalelo said.
The coach said avoiding costly mistakes was key to the comeback.
“We didn’t make mistakes, we didn’t make costly mistakes, and that was the one plus point,” he said.
Kanalelo was also pleased with the mentality shown by his players.
“The attitude was there, the intent was there, and the willpower was there,” he said.
He said Stars still have areas to improve despite producing the result they needed.
“We obviously can do better, or must do better, going forward,” Kanalelo said.
Kanalelo said the team was happy to have achieved its immediate objective.
“I’m happy. We needed the 2-0, and we got it,” he said.
He also praised the players and goalkeeper for their contribution to the clean sheet.
“Good goalkeeping as well, but it was an absolutely excellent performance from all the players,” Kanalelo said.
Hotto will now return to familiar territory when he faces African Stars, adding another layer to what promises to be an intriguing CAF Champions League encounter.
Stars will host Pirates in the first leg on 17 October, but since Namibia lacks a CAF-approved stadium the match will once again have to be played outside the country. The return leg will be held at the Orlando Amstel Arena on 24 October.
