DESPITE holding champions Ghana to a one-all draw on Saturday, Namibia’s under-20 side crashed out at the first hurdle of the Orange African Youth Championship.
The Young Warriors trailed the more illustrious Black Satellites 0-4 going into the second leg of their qualifier at Sam Nujoma Stadium, and struggled to match their physically imposing opponents on home turf. Ghana advanced 5-1 aggregate victors and will now play Benin in the next round of qualification.
Namibia looked to have settled quickly as they created a number of half chances in the opening exchanges. However it was the Ghanaians who opened the scoring when, against the run of play, the lively Richard Yiadom Boakye lobbed onrushing Namibian goalkeeper Collin Ndjai after 30 minutes.
Eslin Kamuhanga replied for the home team five minutes from halftime, with a clinically dispatched penalty, after Ikuaterua Tjozongoro had been hacked down in the box by defender Karim Al Hassan.
The powerful Black Satellites dominated the second half, but could not convert it into goals. First, an unmarked Ahdoh Enoch directed his free header straight into Ndjai’s hands, then the industrious Frank Opoku-Acheampong saw his 20-yard belter fly inches wide of the Namibian goal.
Tjozongoro also let fly from range but his shot curled away from the Ghanaian goal, however with no further goals in sight Namibia had to be content with the draw, with coach Bernard Kaanjuka still adamant that the away side fielded players older than his own. A reliable source at the NFA said no formal complaint was forwarded to Caf in the aftermath of Kaanjuka’s claims.
‘You saw for yourselves,’ he told reporters at the final whistle, as he followed up his earlier claims in Accra. ‘I’m not going to say anything else.’
His counterpart Orlando Wellington said only Bright Addae, a rightback, was a member of the senior national that reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. He commended the hosts for putting up a fight but was pleased with his own team’s overwhelming success.
‘It was a good match,’ he said. ‘I was impressed with the way Namibia played. They (Namibia) played more than what they did in Ghana. Now we look forward to the next game in the competition.’
The Black Satellites, who won the last continental competition in Rwanda a year ago, are aiming for a place in the 2011 finals to be staged by Libya. Meanwhile, Kaanjuka and his boys will have to regroup before competing in the Cosafa and Zone 6 games in December.
sheefeni@namibian.com.na
