Warriors to face Lions of Teranga
Warriors to face Lions of Teranga

Warriors to face Lions of Teranga

The Brave Warriors of Namibia need to put on a convincing display if they want to qualify for next year’s Fifa World Cup.
Cindy Van Wyk
Limba Mupetami







WINDHOEK

The Brave Warriors of Namibia are scheduled to face Senegal’s Lions of Teranga in home and away matches to be played in October in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying matches.

The home match will take place on 6 October, while the away game will be played on 10 October. They will then visit Congo and then conclude their campaign at home to Togo.

The Warriors are currently leading the log with four points. This after they defeated Togo 1-0 via a spectacular overhead goal by lanky forward Elmo Kambindu on Sunday in their second match at Stade de Kégué in Lome.

In a post-match interview, captain Peter Shalulile said they wanted the win the most. “They are a good team. But it was about the team that wanted it the most and that was us.

“Teams in the west are very physical, we are a small physique and the plan was to run around them”.

He added that they believe in each other as players and in their coach Booby Samaria.

Shalulile said they don’t know where they will end up in the future, but mentioned it might just be at the World Cup.

Recovery plan

Samaria added that the players believe in themselves and respect their opponents on the day, but didn’t give Togo too much room to play.

The coach further lauded the two goal keepers, who he said “did a fantastic job”.

Asked whether playing two matches in five days affected the players in any way, Samaria said they had a recovery plan. “We can’t complain about the schedule at this point in time. As long as you are switched on, and mentally prepared.”

In their first match last Thursday, the Warriors drew 1-1 with Congo at the Orlando Stadium in South Africa, with Namibia’s goal coming from defender Charles Hambira in the first half.

The Warriors were pegged back when the defender guided the ball into the back of his own net in the second half.

Namibia is playing at the Soweto venue after their usual home ground, the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek, was deemed below standard by CAF.

World-class talent

The third and fourth matches will be a tough test for the Warriors as Senegal has assembled a strong squad consisting of the likes of Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly, boasting a team full of world-class talent. Second on the log with three points, Senegal will face third place Congo tonight, who have one point.

The log is expected to change thereafter.

Only the top team in each group advances to the final knockout stage for a place at the World Cup in Qatar.

The final knockout round featuring the 10 pool winners will be played over home and away legs in March 2022, where the five winners will appear at the global showpiece to be staged from 18 November to 21 December 2022.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-24

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