Stars sweep to the top 

African Stars swept to the top of the Debmarine Namibia Premiership table after collecting maximum points over the weekend, while former leaders FC Ongos dropped down to third place after only picking up one point. 

Playing at the Nau-Aib Stadium at Okahandja, Stars beat Julinho Sporting 3-0 on Saturday and followed that up with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory against Okakarara Young Warriors on Sunday. 

Stars’ young national winger Uetuuru Kambato was the star of Saturday’s match, scoring a goal and providing both assists for the other goals, scored by Willy Stephanus and Deon Tjizumauje.

On Sunday, Okakarara Young Warriors took the lead when they pounced onto a poor clearance to put the ball into an empty net, but Stars finished stronger, with their two young substitute wingers Paulus Alundilu and Herold Gaseb turning the game around with their pace on the wings. 

Charles Hambira scored the equaliser from a Willy Stephanus freekick, while Gaseb got the winner when he volleyed home Alundilu’s cross in the closing stages. 

Stars captain Ronald Ketjijere said a defensive error led to Okakarara’s goal. 

“We made a mistake at the back – when you want to build up and play through phases from the back it’s bound to happen. We are allowed to make those mistakes, but today it was costly, and its a learning curve and a lesson for us,” he told African Stars’ Facebook page. 

“But at least we managed to redeem ourselves in the second half with calm heads and we managed to control the game at moments and got a goal back, and of course then they got a red card as well and were a man down. But we believed that we could make it and we came back and got the second goal,” he added. 

Ketjijere said that their second half substitutes Alundilu and Gaseb turned the game around for them. 

“The young players, that’s the energy that we need from them – we bring the experience, but we need to get the energy from these young stars. They came out with guns blazing, they came out running at the defence, they are not scared and they want to get in behind the defence. It was a nice cross there from Paulus to Herold who scored a fantastic winner for us,” he said. 

Former log leaders FC Ongos, meanwhile, had a poor weekend, collecting only one point in a 2-2 draw against Eeshoke Chula Chula on Sunday, while they suffered as 1-0 defeat to Mighty Gunners on Friday. 

Stephanus Petrus got the winning goal for the Gunners when he latched onto a long upfield clearance and lobbed the ball over Ongos’ outrushing keeper Jonas Matheus into an empty net. 

On Sunday, they took an early lead through Simon Elago, but Chula Chula soon struck back when they won a penalty for a handball and Moses Shidolo scored from the spot. 

Shidolo then gave Chula Chula the lead with a great freekick that hit the roof of the net, but Nikodemus Haikali equalised for Ongos just before halftime when he finished off an attack by Wangu Gome. 

With only one point in the bag, Ongos have now dropped down to third position on 45 points – five points behind Stars, while Khomas Nampol wrnt second on 46 points after drawing 1-0 against Okahandja United on Saturday and beating Blue Waters 3-0 on Sunday. 

Life Fighters, meanwhile, shocked Tigers with a 3-0 win at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium on Saturday, while they collected another point in a goalless draw against Civics on Sunday. 

Fighters, however, remain bottom of the log on 16 points, after the teams directly above them also collected points over the weekend, with Okakarara Young Warriors, Civics and Orlando Pirates now all on 20 points. 

In other results, Okahandja United beat Young Brazilians 3-2, Young African and Mighty Gunners drew 0-0, Tigers beat Unam 1-0, Blue Waters beat Young Brazilians 3-1, Civics beat Unam 2-0, Young African and Chula Chula drew 0-0, and Pirates and Okakarara Young Warriors drew 0-0.