Tura and Unam game ends in draw

Tura Magic Football Club and The Clever Boys from the Unam Football Club produced a thriller in round seven of the Debmarine Namibia Soccer Premiership on Saturday afternoon in Windhoek, drawing two all after full time at the Unam Stadium.Head coach Ronny Kanalelo’s charges, with home-ground advantage, had a tough afternoon at the office, trailing by points for the greater part of their clash in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd supporting both sides with passion.Tura Magic, on the other hand, had an easier game, dominating the home team with relative ease. Their captain, Junias Theophilus, led by example on the attack and defence. He played the field full of clever play, showing up at the right times to stop Unam attacks in their tracks.Talent and rustElago Simon was a lifeline and a talent to watch for Tura. The pocket-sized Simon lacked a bit of speed, but that is something that can be fixed to make him a good fetcher on the ball.Both sides showcased brilliant play at times, but it is evident that some of the players are still rusty following a long period of no top-level soccer on home soil - especially where crucial decision-making close to the goal and box is key.A couple of goals were missed, with players lacking in support or poor passing between strikers despite only the goalie on defence in front of them.Lack of direction The aerial play of both teams must concern Kanalelo and Timo Tjongarero, head coach of Tura Magic.Aimless kicking by players in no direction made it difficult for teammates to secure possession on defence, thereby losing the ball to the opposition and all the yards made on attack. And some just lacked the basics of proper football.Romeo Kasume scored Tura Magic’s first goal from a penalty right in front of the goal box after Simon was brought down with an illegal tackle.Owen Gariseb, Unam goalkeeper, tried his best to save the goal by diving to his right, but Kasume’s cannon ball blasted past Gariseb for a 1-0 lead.Minutes later, Unam levelled the score with a relatively easy goal by Punaje Vita, but Theophilus slotted another goal for a 2-1 lead by Tura. Unam’s equaliser came after the Tura Magic defence fell apart for Vita to score his brace.Wasted chances Tjonagarero said: "Our Namibian players have so much to learn. The players need to own up and work extra to improve themselves; the hours at training are never sufficient to improve a twenty-something player in terms of the basics of football."Maybe when the game becomes professional, it will provide us with enough time to improve the players, and then quality will increase and so will the end product as well."Imagine all the possession and missed chances we had – we should have buried Unam long before full time. On average, we have wasted about four goals per match since I took over as coach. We create so many chances, but I guess immaturity and lack of experience are the causes." tielman@republikein.com.na

Tura and Unam game ends in draw

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-24

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Tura and Unam game ends in draw

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-24

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