Africa-Press – Namibia. THE Brave Warriors may be tagged underdogs against Cameroon in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, but they will not lie down and roll over for the Indomitable Lions.
That will definitely not be the case in their maiden clash in Yaoundé today or the return leg four days later in Johannesburg, say Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin and defender Ryan Nyambe.
They respect Cameroon’s storied football pedigree, which was enhanced with a 1-0 win over Brazil in the group stage of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in their last competitive match.
However, the Warriors are not fazed and know that an upset or two are not beyond the realm of possibility.
The Brave Warriors are looking to make a return to the Afcon finals after missing out on last year’s showpiece. Their qualifying campaign got off to a rocky start though, after being pegged 1-1 at home by Burundi.
Namibia are third in Group C, two points adrift of Cameroon and level on points with Burundi, having played one game less.
Victory for Cameroon, who beat Burundi 1-0 in their opening qualifying encounter, today will seal qualification to the finals with two matches to spare.
A win for Namibia will boost morale and leave them needing to avoid defeat to Burundi in their final qualifier to reach the continent’s marquee football competition which takes place in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
“The energy is very good. It’s positive. We’re all looking forward to the challenge against Cameroon. I think that’s what’s keeping us going,” said Nyambe, who plays for Wigan Athletic in the English second-tier.
“They’ve got quality players. Obviously, there are players, as a player that you look forward to playing against. We’re underdogs but we want to win. If we can get a win then, I’ll be happy.”
The good news is, Nyambe and co will not have to contend with Cameroon’s lethal front three of Karl Toko-Ekambi, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Vincent Aboubakar in the Indomitable Lions’ den.
Bayern Munich’s Choupo-Moting and Ekambi of Rennes will miss both matches through injury, while Aboubakar of Beşiktaş is suspended for the first leg following a red-card when celebrating his historic winner against Brazil in Qatar.
Benjamin though does not believe that weakens the four-time Africa Cup of Nations winners.
“I think Cameroon are the favourites for these matches and have enough quality at their disposal, so much that it doesn’t matter who is on the pitch,” said Benjamin, who was in charge of the full Warriors team for the first time in the Burundi clash.
“We have to focus on what we can influence and that is our ambition, our drive and the hunger to succeed. We have to bring a resilient hunger, aggression and intensity on the night,” he noted.
Along with Nyambe’s steel, the Brave Warriors will rely on experienced attacking duo Deon Hotto and Peter Shalulile to cause an upset.
In particular skipper Shalulile, who has netted a sensational eight times in his last six games for leading South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, will hope to get the service required to continue his scoring spree.
Namibia’s joint all-time leading scorer was on target in the 1-1 draw with Burundi.
“The team is in a splendid shape and has been pulling together in one direction. We are all looking forward to the match,” Benjamin said.
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