All eyes on Benson

As Namibia holds its breath ahead of a 23 March clash that will determine whether the Brave Warriors will be jetting off later this year to compete at the Afcon 2019 finals in Egypt, strike Benson Shilongo has emerged as an ace in the hole.Shilongo has been in stunning form for his Egyptian side Ismaily SC and has been scoring regularly.Permutations aside, the Brave Warriors will have to produce their A-game if they are to sail through to Afcon 2019.Shilongo's quality is undeniable, as he has been netting goals for his club and recently also scored a cracker when Ismaily SC played CS Constantine in a CAF Champions League clash.“Whether he will do the same for Warriors is not a question. Shilongo is a brilliant player. His smart runs into the box makes him lethal. He just needs more passes in order for him to find the net,” said Shekutaamba Nepembe, a fan of the player.Shilongo completed a lucrative transfer of R3.56 million to three-time Egyptian premier league champions Ismaily SC, according to Kick Off magazine.He is the Namibian footballer ever to ply his trade in the highly competitive league.The player is, however, humble about his qualities and said he needs his teammates just as much as they need him. Shilongo also spoke about is brilliant goal he scored against CS Constantine.“It just comes down to commitment and the belief from the people around me. The lads and the technical team believe in me and they push me to do well, but in the end we play collectively,” he said.“The goal was a beauty. I have executed the technique very well and scored quite a few goals this year from the blind spot. I have to continue what I'm doing because I want to be a better version of my current self, so I have to keep improving at all times.”Shilongo was in the ranks of Smouha for 11 months after joining the Egyptian league in January 2018. He also played 13 games for Alassiouty SportThe Namibian, who made his debut for the national team in 2012, said they will approach the Zambia as per game plan, in order to ensure qualification for Afcon 2019.“We have to focus on scoring and helping the players get into positions to score; we are a talented bunch of players and anyone can lead us to Afcon,” he said.Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti has called up a strong 28-man squad to prepare for the clash. The Warriors' road to Egypt started with a match against Guinea-Bissau early last year, where they lost 0-1 away.They went on to host Zambia's national team, Chipolopolo, holding them to a one-all draw.They then defeated by Mozambique at home and away, before drawing 0-0 with Guinea-Bissau.Namibia can also qualify for the 2019 Afcon finals if they avoid defeat against Zambia, or if they lose to Zambia and Mozambique lose to Guinea-Bissau. If they lose to Zambia and Mozambique draw against Guinea-Bissau, they will advance courtesy of a better head-to-head showing against Mozambique.Guinea-Bissau and Namibia are top of Group K on eight points each, with Mozambique in third place on seven points. Zambia, on four points, is out of the race to Egypt, but can prove to be a thorn in Namibia's side.The group winners and the runners-up will qualify for the 32nd edition of the Afcon finals, to be played from 21 June to 19 July in Egypt.LIMBA MUPETAMI

All eyes on Benson

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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All eyes on Benson

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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