Africa-Press – Namibia. COLLIN Benjamin demanded better from the Brave Warriors following their 2-0 Cosafa Cup success over 10-man Madagascar, which ensured a winning start to his tenure as substantive head coach.
A second-half Absalom Iimbondi penalty and Wendell Rudath’s stunning strike from an acute angle made the match safe for Namibia, who started the match with three debutants.
It is the first time the Brave Warriors made it past the last eight stage over the last three appearances.
They next face South Africa or Mozambique in a cup semi-final on Friday, with the Malagasy dropping down to the plate section semis.
Rudath, who won the spot kick, picked up the man-of-the-match prize for an outstanding display.
However, the Warriors were not outstanding collectively and overall, with an unimpressed Benjamin profusely shaking his head at the final whistle.
“I’m of the opinion that the energy was not so good at the beginning. We need to make sure we start well and not get caught out,” Benjamin told Cosafa TV.
“I think, it’s probably good that we could win the game and get that [Wendell Rudath] goal. I still think there’s a lot of work to be done. Very very raw, at times very unprofessional and you won’t survive internationally with that type of approach,” he cautioned.
“We knew that ti would be a very tough game against Madagascar, they are very good on the ball. It was very obvious in the beginning. The turning point was the penalty.”
The gaffer is wary of the stern test that awaits them in the semis where sloppiness will most likely be duly punished by ruthless opponents.
Benjamin is already proving to be a hard task master, dishing out half-time tongue-lashing, which culminated in an upturn in tempo and focus.
A more intense Warriors forced the tiring Barea onto the back foot, resulting in mistakes that led to the 52nd minute penalty and sending off of midfielder Rojo Andriamanjato in the 71st minute.
“It was a little bit hard in the dressing room from our side to the players. And, I think the message probably came across that it is international soccer. We have a whole lot of under-20 boys in there. It’s going to be tough, it’s not going to be easy. It’s for us to try and learn and improve with every game.”
Rudath said their rivals were not a walk in the park.
“It was very physical but we were prepared. We put in a lot of work these past few weeks, as we knew they would come out physical and we had to adapt,” the lively attacker said.
Nonetheless, the Fifa Normalisation Committee chairperson Bisey Uirab said it was an “excellent result” and anticipates more of the same in the semis.
The Brave Warriors went all the way in the regional tournament the last time, and met and beat Madagascar at this stage of the competition in 2015.
“The youthful Brave Warriors discharged their national assignment with distinction and Namibians are proud for the outstanding performance. You made Namibia proud, without a shadow of a doubt. This victory certainly reaffirms the commitment of the NFA that domestic football must start in all earnest and very soon,” Uirab said in statement.
Meanwhile, Malagasy head coach Felix Rakotondrabe was classy in his assessment of the lukewarm match, which his jet-lagged side played hours after arriving in South Africa due to travelling complications.
“Congrats to Namibia. We’re not here to make excuses, but yes our players were tired. We arrived only this morning. We were able to do well the first half, we conceded a penalty and it was hard to come back after that,” Rakotondrabe said.
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