Kasaona FA book semifinal spot

Defending champions Kasaona Football Academy booked their place in the semifinals of the Bank Windhoek Ramblers u21 football tournament after an impressive 5-3 win against Namib Colts on Saturday. 

That win followed a 2-2 draw against Swallows on Friday and put them on top of Group B on 10 points after they won three and drew one of their group matches. 

Kasaona have now completed their four group matches and are well ahead on the log, with Swallows trailing in second place on five points. Kasaona cannot be caught anymore and have already booked their semifinal spot, but the second semi spot is still wide open, with Swallows, Namib Colts (two points) and SKW (two) all still in the running. 

In Saturday’s encounter, Namib Colts provided stiff resistance and the teams were still deadlocked at 3-all at halftime, but Kasaona finished stronger to deservedly win the match. 

Tjinatjiua Kambirongo opened the scoring for Kasaona with an acute shot from the left wing, and when Vaisapoje Tjisemo headed in a cross by Brandon Basson they were suddenly 2-0 ahead after only 13 minutes. 

Namib Colts, however, immediately struck back when Stephanus Hilinganye scored from the restart, and after Koviao Kazohua came close to scoring on a few occasions, he finally found the equaliser, heading in from a corner after 20 minutes.

Kasaona regained the lead when Punaje Katjimune scored after a quick attack, but Colts once again drew level when Muhupua Hoveka stabbed in a rebound from a freekick to send the teams level-pegging at 3-3 into halftime.

Kasaona came out attacking and soon regained the lead when Kambirongo headed in a long cross by Theophelus Kaposambo, and although Edsom Makias came close for Colts, Unombango Uazunga sealed Kasaona’s victory with a great long-range strike that hit the roof of the net. 

Kasaona FA owner and coach Uerikondjera Kasaona said they managed to weather an early onslaught by Namib Colts to win the match. 

“It was a bit rough at the beginning and you could see the intent was a bit high, but my boys managed to settle in early on. We expected them to come out like that, because the boys know each other well, but at the end I think we had the upper hand,” she said. 

“We are now through to the semis and we are just waiting to see who our opponents will be,” she added.

Kasaona didn’t want to look too far ahead about their chances of retaining the title. 

“Anything is possible and we are not underestimating our opponents, but we are looking forward to it. It will all come down to who’s ready on the day and your display on the field of play, that’s what football is all about,” she said. 

Group A, meanwhile, is hanging in the balance, with three teams still in the running for the two semifinal spots. 

Ramblers, who drew 3-3 against Athletic Club Football Academy on Thursday, lead the log on seven points, followed by Kaizen Football Academy on six and ACFA on five points. All three teams still have a chance of making the semis, with only African Stars on two points and Fortis Football Academy on one point out of the running. 

In matches over the weekend, KFA beat African Stars 1-0, Fortis and African Stars drew 2-2, and ACFA and African Stars drew 1-1. 

In the latter match, Mbeurora Muraranganda put Stars ahead midway through the second half when he pounced to put a loose ball into the net after ACFA’s goalie failed to clear a high ball.

ACFA were, however, soon level when Nyambe Mwazi stabbed home from close range following a goalmouth scramble. 

ACFA assistant coach Niki Gaweseb said they improved in the second half. 

“It was a hard and physical game, but we lifted our game and played better in the second half. Our boys were a bit sloppy in the first half, there was no quality in the passes, and we didn’t create enough shots at goal. The second half was a bit better, and although African Stars scored first, we fought back and managed to equalise,” he said. 

“We have won one and drawn two matches,so we’ve had a good run and I think we can make it to the semifinals. I believe in my boys and I think we can push through and win the tournament,” he added. 

That point kept ACFA’s semifinal chances alive and they will now take on bottom-of-the-log Fortis in their final group match on 25 May, while KFA face a tricky encounter against log-leaders Ramblers.