Unam and Mighty Gunners march into Top 8 final

Unam FC and Mighty Gunners FC are through to the 2026 Standard Bank Top 8 Cup final after both sides secured narrow semi-final victories on Saturday at Outjo Sport Stadium.

Unam booked their place in the final with a 1-0 victory over FC Ongos, courtesy of a goal from Shaun Rugam in a tightly contested semi-final clash.

The students produced a composed defensive display to frustrate Ongos throughout the encounter, while taking advantage of their opportunity in front of goal to seal progression to the final.

Unam left back Ronaldo Kauvi was named man of the match after an impressive performance at the back, earning the N$2 500 award as he helped his side keep a clean sheet.

Despite the defeat, FC Ongos walked away with N$100 000 as losing semi-finalists.

Speaking to the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) after the match, Unam coach Robert Nauseb described the encounter as a difficult test against a quality side.

“It was a very tough game. We know the team that we were playing against. It’s a well-coached team. Any mistake in the first five minutes and we could have already been one-nil down,” Nauseb said.

He added that the result was the reward for years of work with the squad.

“This is the hard work of four years that I have been working with these boys, and the four years are starting to pay off now. We are really happy to be in the final. We made a promise to our chairman that we want to win this tournament for him,” he said.

Nauseb also highlighted the importance of continuity within the squad, saying the team’s growth is a result of keeping the core of the group together over several seasons.

“We had the squad that we assembled four years ago. We have obviously lost about four or five players from that squad. To keep these boys was hard, but they really wanted to show something that they have worked for over four years. That’s why they are still here,” he said.

In the second semi-final, Mighty Gunners edged Eleven Arrows 1-0 to secure their place in the final. Striker Muyeka Mashiku scored the decisive goal for the Otjiwarongo-based side in another tense encounter played at Outjo.

Mighty Gunners showed resilience and defensive discipline to hold onto their advantage against Eleven Arrows, who also leave the competition with N$100 000 as losing semi-finalists.

Speaking to the NBC after the match, Mighty Gunners coach Katti Nambandi praised his players for their commitment and effort throughout the tournament.

“You can see the excitement from the boys. They went for it and they deserve to be there. We worked hard during training and obviously it is a job well done by the boys,” Nambandi said.

The coach also credited Mashiku for continuing his strong form in front of goal.

“Throughout the week we try to sharpen him as much as we can. The boys are on fire currently from the league up to now. He is still scoring goals because of the hard work that he is putting in during training, and the results are showing on the pitch,” he said.

Looking ahead to the final against Unam, Nambandi said his side will remain true to their style of play while improving tactically for the decisive clash.

“Obviously, it will be the same Mighty Gunners, but we will have to redouble our efforts because final games are always very tight. We go back to training, work hard again and sharpen ourselves tactically,” he said.

The results set up a final between Unam and Mighty Gunners at Independence Stadium on 23 May, where both teams will battle for one of Namibia’s biggest domestic cup honours.

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