tnnc – Kavango clinch Newspaper Cup

THE Kavango Region were crowned champions of The Namibian Newspaper Cup after edging Oshana 2-1 in a pulsating final match played at the historic Oscar Norich Stadium on Monday.

Kavango became champions for the first time in the competition’s 14 year history, thanks to a stunning volley by 17-year-old playmaker Frans Halili Matjayi late in the second half.

His effort complimented that of Kazungo Felix Maliti’s swerving long range screamer in the first half, which gave Kavango the lead, before Oshana captain Jackson Johannes fired his side level with an equally well taken volley just after halftime.

Kavango’s triumph was celebrated wildly by the appreciative crowd packed into the small ground, after both teams put on an impressive display in a tightly contested match.

With both sides adopting a similar approach to the match, chances were initially hard to come by.

That was until the 15th minute when nifty footwork from Matjayi saw him shake off his marker to create space in the box, only to send his shot into the side netting.

Moments later, Oshana’s Herman Kalimbo raced through on goal but was thwarted by an alert George Siyemo who quickly dived at his feet to block the forward’s attempted lob.

That proved to be Oshana’s best chance of the half, as Kavango upped the tempo which resulted in Maliti’s opening goal when he unleashed an unstoppable shot from about 30m which flew into the top right-hand corner of Mathew Angwena’s net.

In the second half, Oshana took the game to their rivals but their eagerness to get an equaliser almost left them trailing by two goals when Kavango’s leading scorer Ndalipo Risto shot tamely at Angwena in a one-on-one.

On 50 minutes, Oshana levelled the tie, when left-back and captain Johannes, who had swapped positions with right winger Petrus Sakaria, volleyed home with his right foot just from inside the box.

The goal handed Oshana the initiative as they put a nervous Kavango on the back foot until their little playmaker popped up to net the winner against the run of play five minutes from time.

Matjayi showed excellent technique to volley the ball after a clearance from a corner with his weaker right foot to put his team ahead for the second time in the match.

Kavango held firm to weather Oshana’s attempts to rescue the match and ensure they captured their first ever Newspaper Cup title.

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