Stars remain positive after defeats

African Stars team manager, Andrew Tjahikika, said the team remains in good spirits despite suffering defeats over the weekend.The Premier League champions were unable to deliver when they came up against two foreign teams. They lost their opening match of the tournament to Angola’s Petro Atlético, suffering a 0-1 defeat, before going down by the same scoreline against AS Maniema on Sunday.Tjahikika, however, said the matches gave the team a clear indication of how they must play going forward.The tournament was won by Angola’s Petro Atlético, who beat Lesotho side Lioli Football Club 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in normal time.The competition featured teams from Angola, Lesotho, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the home side, African Stars, at the Independence Stadium.“It was disappointing that we could not win any matches, but at least the coach and players had the opportunity to see how they will perform.“We have big CAF Champions League preliminary matches ahead, and we must be ready for them.“As a team we know we need to improve if we are to go far in that competition. The mood in the camp remains positive and we are looking forward to a good season,” Tjahikika said.African Stars’ next match will be against Eeshoke Chula Chula on Sunday. The game forms part of the Brave Warriors’ road to the World Cup campaign.Tjahikika said the team will be ready for that clash, with the aim of securing victory at all costs.“We are looking forward to the challenge against Chula Chula because it will give the players more game time before they battle in the CAF Champions League preliminaries.“We have a strong squad and remain confident that we can achieve big things,” Tjahikika added.The Namibia Premier League champions have been drawn against Vipers SC of Uganda in the first preliminary round of the competition.The club is eager to perform well and advance to the next stage, with hopes of eventually reaching the group stages for the first time.The first leg of the preliminary round will be played between 19 and 21 September, while the second leg is scheduled for 26 to 28 September.HistoryAfrican Stars qualified for the CAF Champions League preliminary rounds after winning the Debmarine Namibia Premiership with 58 points.They first won the league in 1994, and then again in the 2008-09 season, before successfully defending the title the following campaign.It took Stars another four years to be crowned champions again in the 2014-15 season. The Windhoek-based club went on to lift the title once more in the 2017-18, 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.“Stars is a big team and our goal is to progress to the Champions League group stages. Like I said in a previous interview, our sights are set on qualifying and we will work hard to accomplish it,” Tjahikika said.

Stars remain positive after defeats

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-26

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Stars remain positive after defeats

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-26

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