NAMIBIA’s Young Warriors lost 2-1 to Lesotho in their second Group C game on Sunday afternoon at the Nkana Stadium in Kitwe and will now have to beat Zimbabwe on Tuesday if they want to reach the semifinals at the 2017 Cosafa u20 Championships underway in Zambia.
Namibia came into the game on Sunday leading Group C after beating Angola 1-0 on Friday, while Lesotho were second after a goalless draw against Zimbabwe on Thursday.
Lesotho were all over Namibian in the first half but Namibia defended well until halftime with Lesotho reduced to 10 men as they had Relebohile Mobane sent off on 41 minutes for a reckless change on Rivaldo Festus.
In the second half, Namibia coach Gerald Guther introduced Romario Hawiseb for the ineffective Enzo Mungendje who scored in the Angola victory, and on 64 minutes the substitute got his goal as Namibia made their numerical advantage count. Hawiseb volleyed home at the near post after a counterattack and sloppy Lesotho defending.
However, on 70 minutes Lesotho got the equaliser through Koloti Roboama and he completed his brace on 76 minutes when he turned his defender and fired home.
He could even have scored a third goal later when he shot wide of goals with only the goalie to beat, but Lesotho took the 2-1 victory.
In his match analysis, a gutted Guther said the team did not pitch on the day and Lesotho deserved their victory.
“From the word go, our boys did not compete at all. Lesotho played football from the 1980’s: Put in long balls and play psychical. Our boys could not handle that. After we went 1-0 up we got complacent and they came back. Our key players did not pull their weight and Lesotho worked very hard for their win”, Guther said.
In another Group C match on Sunday, Zimbabwe beat Angola 1-0 after an injury time goal by King Nasama. The win moved Zimbabwe level with Lesotho on four points, while Namibia are third on three points.
Namibia will now have to beat Zimbabwe in their final group match on Tuesday if they hope to reach the semifinals.
“We have to forget about this defeat and plan for the game on Tuesday. We are fighting for our country and we still have a match to win and it’s not yet over,” an optimistic Guther said. – nfa.org.na
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