African Stars take on Unam FC in the pick of the Round of 16 matches in the NFA Cup at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium this weekend.
Stars, who won the league for the fourth season in a row, were knocked out of the recent Top 8 Cup in the quarter-finals by Eleven Arrows, but now they have a chance to add more silverware to their bulging cabinet.
They won the NFA Cup for a record sixth time the last time it was contested two years ago, but had to work hard for a 2-1 win against Hardap second division team Classic FC from Rehoboth last weekend.
Unam initially also struggled against African Motto at the SKGA Stadium outside Oshakati last weekend, before running out 4-0 winners.
African Motto managed to hold them to a goalless draw by half-time, but Unam stepped up a gear in the second half, and goals by Nestor Iyambo, Paulus Amutenya, Vino Kandjou and Onesmus Martin gave them a commanding win in the end.
Unam coach Robert Nauseb says they overcame Motto after changing tactics at the break.
“African Motto gave us some problems in the first half. They are obviously used to the field. They know the turf very well. In the second half we changed the formation a bit to have more numbers in the middle, and that’s where we overpowered them, but they also struggled a bit fitness wise,” he says.
Regarding their draw against African Stars, Nauseb says it doesn’t matter who they face.
“It’s a cup competition, so you just have to play who you’re drawn against. Being drawn against Stars, I won’t say it was too early, because this is a cup game and you are bound to play against any team,” he says.
Nauseb says their recent Top 8 Cup final defeat against Mighty Gunners took a while to get over.
“It was tough. Obviously the first week after losing the final was difficult, but we talked to the boys, because we had to get them through the loss.
“They just have to go and and play the game. It’s their job – you win some and you lose some. So we just had to change our mindsets and focus on what’s lying ahead,” he says, adding he has faith in his team.
“If we can play the way we did against African Motto in the second half and the way we want to play, I think we’re good to go and can go far,” he says.
In another all-Premier League encounter on Saturday, the Top 8 Cup champions Mighty Gunners take on Eleven Arrows at Jan Wilken Stadium at Walvis Bay.
Both teams struggled in the Round of 32 matches last weekend, with Gunners narrowly beating Nust FC 1-0, while Arrows only advanced after beating Khomas Nampol 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at full-time.
Gunners coach Kati Nambadi was unhappy with their performance, saying they had not recovered from winning the Top 8 Cup yet.
“We started quite slowly, but it’s due to my players’ mindset. After winning the Top 8 Cup, the players probably went to sleep a bit and forgot about the NFA Cup.
“In the second half, we made some changes, and I told them to control possession of the game and do the transitions as we planned them. It worked for us, but I’m not entirely happy with our play. We were below our standard,” he says.
In matches at Windhoek’s Independence Stadium on Saturday, Young Brazilians, from the ||Kharas region, will take on Mkwamalanga FC from the Ohangwena region at 11h00; while KK Palace take on another ||Kharas team, Dates XI, who shocked FC Ongos with a 3-1 penalty win last weekend.
The main attraction, Stars v Unam, follows at 16h00.
At Jan Wilkens Stadium at Walvis Bay, Okahandja United take on Dynamos from the Otjozondjupa region at 11h00, Blue Waters take on Square FC from the Erongo region at 13h30, while Eleven Arrows face Mighty Gunners at 16h00.
At Oscar Norwich Stadium at Tsumeb, United Stars from the Kavango East region take on Okamwandi United from the Oshana region at 13h30, while Life Fighters take on Rundu Chiefs at 16h00.
