Gladiators off to semis
Shipanga’s charges manage to win twice
Namibia beat Lesotho 2-0 in their last group encounter yesterday to advance to the semi-finals.
Limba Mupetami
Windhoek
Despite an absent league, halted grassroot programmes, and no focal point to pick new players from, the Brave Gladiators of Namibia defeated Lesotho 2-0 yesterday afternoon in their third and last Group B match at the Cosafa Women’s Championship.
The Namibians then waited with bated breath for the Group A clash between South Africa and Mozambique to decide their fate. SA would either defeat Mozambique or pull a draw, as they did yesterday, in order for Namibia to get a chance at progressing from the group stages for the first time.
The Namibians have never passed the group stages before: not in 2018, 2019, 2020 or in 2021. Their best finish was in 2006 when they ended second. Now they will face SA on Friday at 15:30.
The match
The Gladiators had a slow start to the match, but managed to score an 11th minute goal courtesy of Memory Ngonda. In the second half, the Gladiators found the net via a long-range shot by captain Zenatha Coleman, who was also voted player of the match for her exceptional work on the field.
The Gladiators could have extended their lead as they had 10 shots at goal compared to one by their opponents, but they missed several vital chances in front of the goal.
Learning curve
Gladiators head gaffer, Paulus Shipanga, said Lesotho definitely gave them a run for their money.
“They gave us a good run for our money. We had chances that we wasted. Some players were running out of position, but it’s a learning curve for a lot of players.
“We did better than the last time (Namibia has never exited the group stages at the tournament), so we are happy. It was a tough group. There are so many different playing styles, so we learn from the points we picked.”
Vital exposure
Shipanga said African football is growing and tournaments such as this should be applauded.
“I thank the women for giving us something great to watch, and I hope a tournament of this magnitude could be held twice a year,” he said.
He added that he dropped about 14 players for this tournament and brought in new young players.
“I thank Cosafa for giving the players exposure and hope the tournament can continue for years to come.”
Windhoek
Despite an absent league, halted grassroot programmes, and no focal point to pick new players from, the Brave Gladiators of Namibia defeated Lesotho 2-0 yesterday afternoon in their third and last Group B match at the Cosafa Women’s Championship.
The Namibians then waited with bated breath for the Group A clash between South Africa and Mozambique to decide their fate. SA would either defeat Mozambique or pull a draw, as they did yesterday, in order for Namibia to get a chance at progressing from the group stages for the first time.
The Namibians have never passed the group stages before: not in 2018, 2019, 2020 or in 2021. Their best finish was in 2006 when they ended second. Now they will face SA on Friday at 15:30.
The match
The Gladiators had a slow start to the match, but managed to score an 11th minute goal courtesy of Memory Ngonda. In the second half, the Gladiators found the net via a long-range shot by captain Zenatha Coleman, who was also voted player of the match for her exceptional work on the field.
The Gladiators could have extended their lead as they had 10 shots at goal compared to one by their opponents, but they missed several vital chances in front of the goal.
Learning curve
Gladiators head gaffer, Paulus Shipanga, said Lesotho definitely gave them a run for their money.
“They gave us a good run for our money. We had chances that we wasted. Some players were running out of position, but it’s a learning curve for a lot of players.
“We did better than the last time (Namibia has never exited the group stages at the tournament), so we are happy. It was a tough group. There are so many different playing styles, so we learn from the points we picked.”
Vital exposure
Shipanga said African football is growing and tournaments such as this should be applauded.
“I thank the women for giving us something great to watch, and I hope a tournament of this magnitude could be held twice a year,” he said.
He added that he dropped about 14 players for this tournament and brought in new young players.
“I thank Cosafa for giving the players exposure and hope the tournament can continue for years to come.”
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