Tough encounter awaits Gladiators

Namibia&#039;s senior women&#039;s national side, the Brave Gladiators, will face World Cup debutants Morocco on Thursday in the Olympic qualifier&#039;s second leg.Coached by Paulus Shipanga, the Namibians have had a competitive month, playing against Equatorial Guinea, whom they beat in both first-leg encounters.The team also took part in the Cosafa Women’s Championship but did not manage to exit the group stages.The Gladiators played three matches in their group stages, putting on a brave performance against Botswana, resulting in a one-all draw. The second encounter saw them lose 2-1 to Zimbabwe. They managed to achieve a 2-0 victory over Lesotho in the last match.Focus areasShipanga said the side has been focusing more on an attacking approach ahead of the clash against Morocco.“We want to score as many goals as possible during the first match because we are at a disadvantage – playing our home game in Morocco.“The Cosafa tournament showed us a few of our weaknesses, and we were also working on strengthening some key areas. Overall, the players have been responding well to the sessions, and the technical team is happy about the performance."For the Olympic Games, only two spots are reserved for the African continent in the women’s division, and the Namibians are seeking their maiden appearance.The winner of the second leg will play the winner between Ivory Coast and Tunisia during the third round of the qualifiers.Show of supportA delegation from Netball Namibia (NN) paid a visit to the Gladiators at Garden Court Hotel in Johannesburg before they departed for Marrakech.The delegation was led by Irvine Ndjavera, deputy director of sport, Rebekka Goagoses, president of Netball Namibia, NN vice president Connie Samaria and Isack Hamata, NN acting secretary general.“We have been following the team closely for the past months, and this is truly the Gladiators of Namibia; your fighting spirit and determination are commendable. We are wishing you all the best in your encounter with Morocco, and the entire nation is rallying behind the team", Ndjavera said.He further encouraged the team to continue working hard and remain in good spirits.

Tough encounter awaits Gladiators

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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Tough encounter awaits Gladiators

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-02

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