Warriors put up great show

NAMIBIA’S Brave Warriors proved that they are capable of producing the goods for the country after putting in a sterling performance against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on Wednesday night.

Despite losing 1-0 through a defensive lapse that saw South Africa’s Mashego Katlego putting the ball away, the Namibian side seem to have improved with every game. Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile was a happy man and told reporters after the match that he did not regret the loss, but thought that his team had gained a lot from it.”It was a good preparation match for the players and all of them really had a good game out there.The result is not important, but we thought that we can just build on our performance with each game,” he said.The coach described the game as a sign of better things to come for Namibia, as the team has talent and a lot of potential to be top performers.Bamfuchile, who was in charge for only his third game for Namibia, has also not played at any other venue than the Sam Nujoma Stadium.The venue seem to be ground where his players perform beyond expectations but rarely find the back of the net, apart from their highest score which was a 3-2 win against Malawi in a Cosafa Castle Cup match last month.Bamfuchile, unlike South African caretaker coach Pitso Mosimane, did not complain about the weather or the condition of the pitch.He was rather in an ecstatic mood, while his charges left the field with smiles on their faces and giving friendly handshakes to their opponents, who possibly had one of their worst performances.DOMINANT The Namibians were dominant almost during the entire match, with the midfielders knitting perfect passes and creating chances upfront, while the defenders kept it clean at the back.All that was missing was the finishing-off in front of goal.Warriors striker and captain Henrico Botes was isolated in most instances and midfielder Collin Benjamin, who was assigned to offload the ball to him, played too deep.This resulted in no goals for the side as Botes had no one to play to when in control.The defence, marshalled by Moroka Swallows strongman George Hummel, was rock solid, with Hartman Toromba once again giving a consistent performance.Civics youngster Franklin April had some close shaves in some instances, but made up for each mistake and still has to get used to football at that level.Robert Nauseb could have converted his free kick in the second half if it was not for the experience of Rowen Fernadez, who blocked the shot with his fists to keep it out.Nauseb, who was one of the most senior players alongside Benjamin and Hummel, also created several chances to the flanks, especially on the left where Civics dynamo Heinrich Isaacs found himself.Isaacks was clearly a thorn in the side of the South African defence with his darting runs and typical, unpredictable dribbling style.He had Dillion Sheppard going the wrong way twice, but the supply of balls became too much for him as he looked exhausted from all the running.He was replaced by Costa Khaiseb in the last 15 minutes, who could have equalised and scored the winner for Namibia.Khaiseb missed two clear goal-scoring opportunities late in the match.Bamfuchile had several substitutions which included Brian Brendell, Jeremia Baisako, Freedom Puriza and Khaiseb all coming on, while Rudolph Bester, Benjamin, April and Isaacks were all replaced.Athiel Mbaha stood in goal for the Namibians for the entire match, but a lack of communication between him and Hummel led to the soft goal by Katlego.The mood in the stands was electric despite the loss, with most of the 7 000-strong crowd cheering the team whenever they were attacking.Off the field, spectators were left with no option but to enjoy the game without drinks as the gates were locked for security reasons, a situation that some said should be avoided next time.One angry fan said big stadiums which take up to 80 000 people operate without any fuss, while the Sam Nujoma stadium, which accommodates fewer than 10 000 people, does not even have enough exit points.Warriors coach Ben Bamfuchile was a happy man and told reporters after the match that he did not regret the loss, but thought that his team had gained a lot from it.”It was a good preparation match for the players and all of them really had a good game out there.The result is not important, but we thought that we can just build on our performance with each game,” he said.The coach described the game as a sign of better things to come for Namibia, as the team has talent and a lot of potential to be top performers.Bamfuchile, who was in charge for only his third game for Namibia, has also not played at any other venue than the Sam Nujoma Stadium.The venue seem to be ground where his players perform beyond expectations but rarely find the back of the net, apart from their highest score which was a 3-2 win against Malawi in a Cosafa Castle Cup match last month.Bamfuchile, unlike South African caretaker coach Pitso Mosimane, did not complain about the weather or the condition of the pitch.He was rather in an ecstatic mood, while his charges left the field with smiles on their faces and giving friendly handshakes to their opponents, who possibly had one of their worst performances.DOMINANT The Namibians were dominant almost during the entire match, with the midfielders knitting perfect passes and creating chances upfront, while the defenders kept it clean at the back.All that was missing was the finishing-off in front of goal.Warriors striker and captain Henrico Botes was isolated in most instances and midfielder Collin Benjamin, who was assigned to offload the ball to him, played too deep.This resulted in no goals for the side as Botes had no one to play to when in control.The defence, marshalled by Moroka Swallows strongman George Hummel, was rock solid, with Hartman Toromba once again giving a consistent performance.Civics youngster Franklin April had some close shaves in some instances, but made up for each mistake and still has to get used to football at that level.Robert Nauseb could have converted his free kick in the second half if it was not for the experience of Rowen Fernadez, who blocked the shot with his fists to keep it out.Nauseb, who was one of the most senior players alongside Benjamin and Hummel, also created several chances to the flanks, especially on the left where Civics dynamo Heinrich Isaacs found himself.Isaacks was clearly a thorn in the side of the South African defence with his darting runs and typical, unpredictable dribbling style.He had Dillion Sheppard going the wrong way twice, but the supply of balls became too much for him as he looked exhausted from all the running.He was replaced by Costa Khaiseb in the last 15 minutes, who could have equalised and scored the winner for Namibia.Khaiseb missed two clear goal-scoring opportunities late in the match.Bamfuchile had several substitutions which included Brian Brendell, Jeremia Baisako, Freedom Puriza and Khaiseb all coming on, while Rudolph Bester, Benjamin, April and Isaacks were all replaced.Athiel Mbaha stood in goal for the Namibians for the entire match, but a lack of communication between him and Hummel led to the soft goal by Katlego.The mood in the stands was electric despite the loss, with most of the 7 000-strong crowd cheering the team whenever they were attacking.Off the field, spectators were left with no option but to enjoy the game without drinks as the gates were locked for security reasons, a situation that some said should be avoided next time.One angry fan said big stadiums which take up to 80 000 people operate without any fuss, while the Sam Nujoma stadium, which accommodates fewer than 10 000 people, does not even have enough exit points.