Africa-Press – Namibia. Brave Warriors assistant coach Maleagi Ngarizemo has commended his team on a fine performance, despite going down to a 1-0 defeat to the Comoros Islands on Friday.
A late goal by striker Aboubacar Ali gave Comoros a narrow victory, but they dominated possession and could have won by a bigger margin if their shooting was on target.
It was the first of two friendly matches between the two nations in Moroni, with the second due to take place this evening.
On paper there was not much to choose between the two sides, with Comoros ranked 27th in Africa and 112 in the world, while Namibia is ranked 30th in Africa and 116 in the world.
Comoros, however, have been in fine form lately and also qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after finishing on top of their qualifying group ahead of Tunisia, Gambia and Madagascar.
Namibia, on the other hand, used the opportunity to blood in some new players, with several winning their international debuts, while Ngarizemo joined head coach John Sikerete in the hot seat.
Ngarizemo said they did very well under the circumstances.
“I think it was a great game between two good sides, in a very good atmosphere, with good weather. It was one of the best matches I have ever witnessed, with Comoros having all their international players as they are preparing for the African Cup of Nations in Morocco later in December.
“They had a good side. I’m very impressed by the local boys, because they really showed good commitment,” he says.
“You could see it was a high-intensity game and they managed the game very well against such a good side. It was just unfortunate that we were caught sleeping in the last five minutes of the match when they scored a goal from a cross.
“We will rectify that so we can also try and do well and try to win the match on Monday, but overall I think the boys played very well,” he says.
“I can mention Rikambura Muundja, while Charles (Hambira) also had a very good game, as well as Tyrese Hikupembe at left back.
“Paulus Amutenya stood out in midfield, and the goalie Jonas Mateus did very well. Kennedy Eib did very well in defence before he had to be taken off due to injury, so I think it was a very good game and the future is bright.
“There’s a lot to be worked on, but I’m very impressed,” he says.
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