Warriors downed in friendly

THE Brave Warriors’ determination in pursuit of an equaliser in their 2-1 loss, was kept at bay by a rigid Zambian defence during an entertaining international friendly football match at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday.

Zambia led 1-0 at halftime through a goal by Zambian striker Enock Sakala, who hit the net at close range after a sweet cross from Songwe Chalwe in the 35th minute. The visitors extended their lead at changeover, with Sakala beating the offside trip to unleash a power shot that was too acute for Namibian goalie Abisai Shiningayamwe to stop.Zambia led 2-0 midway through the second half, but Namibia got lucky when the ball deflected from Kennedy Nketani to cause a handball in the box from a shot that came off Johannes Seibeb.The Warriors’ skilful midfielder Let Shatimuene, who had a fantastic day in midfield, made no mistake from the spot kick to put the score at 2-1.With this, Namibia pushed for an equaliser and also saw some of the finest touches from the locals who were under pressure from the visitors for most of the first half.The Warriors settled well in the second half after a rocky first half, especially with the introduction of Victor Helu on the right midfield position and Jeremia Mbaisako at left back.Orlando Pirates duo Patrick Jagger and Edian Beukes were replaced in the second half after a continuous but unsuccessful search for goals.With Helu, Shatimuene and Jamu Ngatjizeko in charge of matters in midfield, the Namibians took the game to the visitors, but at least four of their passes that were destined for their unmarked strikers were cut short by the more experienced Zambian defence.Identical twin brothers Muna and Tara Katupose were also thrown into the thick of things and they did not disappoint.Muna connected well with the midfielders, but did not have enough room to manoeuvre, but showed huge potential as a future striker for the country.Tara Katupose on his part had one of the best long-range shots on the day when he set free a creamer from at least 30 metres, only to be stopped by the rather comical Zambian goalie, Kennedy Mweene, who anticipated it well.This however did not deter the Namibians to push for an equaliser, but with little time on their side, it was too late.The tough Zambian defence stood tall and the experience of some of the players came to the fore in the encounter, which livened up a decent crowd that attended the match.Coach Ben Bamfuchile after the match expressed optimism in the quality of his players and showered praise on the twin brothers, who both play for lower-division side Epupa Eleven in the Kunene Region.He said he would keep the two players in the team and aim to expose them to more matches at the highest level to gain experience.Bamfuchile said more foreign-based players would be coming into the squad this week, ahead of Namibia’s African Nations Cup qualifier against Libya in Windhoek on Saturday.The visitors extended their lead at changeover, with Sakala beating the offside trip to unleash a power shot that was too acute for Namibian goalie Abisai Shiningayamwe to stop.Zambia led 2-0 midway through the second half, but Namibia got lucky when the ball deflected from Kennedy Nketani to cause a handball in the box from a shot that came off Johannes Seibeb.The Warriors’ skilful midfielder Let Shatimuene, who had a fantastic day in midfield, made no mistake from the spot kick to put the score at 2-1.With this, Namibia pushed for an equaliser and also saw some of the finest touches from the locals who were under pressure from the visitors for most of the first half.The Warriors settled well in the second half after a rocky first half, especially with the introduction of Victor Helu on the right midfield position and Jeremia Mbaisako at left back.Orlando Pirates duo Patrick Jagger and Edian Beukes were replaced in the second half after a continuous but unsuccessful search for goals.With Helu, Shatimuene and Jamu Ngatjizeko in charge of matters in midfield, the Namibians took the game to the visitors, but at least four of their passes that were destined for their unmarked strikers were cut short by the more experienced Zambian defence.Identical twin brothers Muna and Tara Katupose were also thrown into the thick of things and they did not disappoint.Muna connected well with the midfielders, but did not have enough room to manoeuvre, but showed huge potential as a future striker for the country.Tara Katupose on his part had one of the best long-range shots on the day when he set free a creamer from at least 30 metres, only to be stopped by the rather comical Zambian goalie, Kennedy Mweene, who anticipated it well.This however did not deter the Namibians to push for an equaliser, but with little time on their side, it was too late.The tough Zambian defence stood tall and the experience of some of the players came to the fore in the encounter, which livened up a decent crowd that attended the match.Coach Ben Bamfuchile after the match expressed optimism in the quality of his players and showered praise on the twin brothers, who both play for lower-division side Epupa Eleven in the Kunene Region.He said he would keep the two players in the team and aim to expose them to more matches at the highest level to gain experience.Bamfuchile said more foreign-based players would be coming into the squad this week, ahead of Namibia’s African Nations Cup qualifier against Libya in Windhoek on Saturday.