Gladiators out of Cosafa
The Brave Gladiators, Namibia's senior women's side, as well as the Young Gladiators, the junior national side, failed to make an impact in their respective matches over the weekend.
The Brave Gladiators suffered a 2-1 defeat to Lesotho on Sunday in their final group game at Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
This, after they started the tournament off on the right footing, beating Botswana 4-0 in their first match in Group C.
They then lost 3-1 to South-Africa (Banyana Banyana) in the second match and again faltered in the third match despite taking a lead in the first four minutes through Anna-Marie Shikusho, who converted a penalty for Namibia.
Throughout the game they failed to convert chances that came their way.
Lesotho punished them for these errors by equalising in the 34th minute through a free kick from their captain, Boitumelo Rabale.
Again Lesotho came back to score in the second half through Rabale, who scored a well-taken free kick in the 53rd minute, beating Melisa Matheus in goal for Namibia.
Brian Isaacs, the Gladiators coach, expressed disappointment with the result, saying the players were not composed enough and lacked big-match temperament.
“We lacked composure in the first half. We could have scored several goals and won the match then. We tried to break them down in the second half but they defended well. They capitalised on our mistakes to score the two goals,” he said.
He added that the news about Zimbabwe's draw might have affected the players' mentality, leading them to commit silly mistakes.
“We were not hungry enough to win the game. We gave the ball easily away. We did not play structured football. We were anxious,” he added.
The Young Gladiators, Namibia's junior national women's side, were humiliated in their first-leg match against South Africa en route to the 2018 Fifa Women Under-20 World Cup, losing 5-0.
The young players now have a big task ahead of them when they face the same side in the return leg on 1 October at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
The winner of the fixture will face Burundi in the second round in November with that winner to advance to the third and final round of qualification for the World Cup.
Both the junior and senior teams have been without the Women's Super League for some time and have not played competitive football in a long time. Most of the players trained on their own to maintain their fitness.
Captain of Namibia, Uerikondjera Kasaona said despite exiting the tournament, it gave an opportunity for young players to gain exposure.
“It really meant a lot to us as we haven't had any competitions for a long time,” she said.
The senior side will now focus on the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to begin in January 2018.
-Additional reporting by NAMPA
LIMBA MUPETAMI
This, after they started the tournament off on the right footing, beating Botswana 4-0 in their first match in Group C.
They then lost 3-1 to South-Africa (Banyana Banyana) in the second match and again faltered in the third match despite taking a lead in the first four minutes through Anna-Marie Shikusho, who converted a penalty for Namibia.
Throughout the game they failed to convert chances that came their way.
Lesotho punished them for these errors by equalising in the 34th minute through a free kick from their captain, Boitumelo Rabale.
Again Lesotho came back to score in the second half through Rabale, who scored a well-taken free kick in the 53rd minute, beating Melisa Matheus in goal for Namibia.
Brian Isaacs, the Gladiators coach, expressed disappointment with the result, saying the players were not composed enough and lacked big-match temperament.
“We lacked composure in the first half. We could have scored several goals and won the match then. We tried to break them down in the second half but they defended well. They capitalised on our mistakes to score the two goals,” he said.
He added that the news about Zimbabwe's draw might have affected the players' mentality, leading them to commit silly mistakes.
“We were not hungry enough to win the game. We gave the ball easily away. We did not play structured football. We were anxious,” he added.
The Young Gladiators, Namibia's junior national women's side, were humiliated in their first-leg match against South Africa en route to the 2018 Fifa Women Under-20 World Cup, losing 5-0.
The young players now have a big task ahead of them when they face the same side in the return leg on 1 October at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
The winner of the fixture will face Burundi in the second round in November with that winner to advance to the third and final round of qualification for the World Cup.
Both the junior and senior teams have been without the Women's Super League for some time and have not played competitive football in a long time. Most of the players trained on their own to maintain their fitness.
Captain of Namibia, Uerikondjera Kasaona said despite exiting the tournament, it gave an opportunity for young players to gain exposure.
“It really meant a lot to us as we haven't had any competitions for a long time,” she said.
The senior side will now focus on the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to begin in January 2018.
-Additional reporting by NAMPA
LIMBA MUPETAMI
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