Goals from Peter Shalulile and Absalom Iimbondi were all Namibia needed to overcome the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon at the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday.
Namibia, Cameroon and Burundi are in Group C of the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Namibia claimed a memorable 2-1 win over a star-studded Cameroon outfit after standing their ground over 90 minutes of football action. The opening half of the match saw fewer shots on target from both teams despite Cameroon making their presence known high up the pitch.
The first half ended goalless but the Brave Warriors had a surprise for their opponents in the second half of the match that saw three goals scored between the two teams.
In the second half, the Brave Warriors were the more aggressive of the two sides and their pressure paid off in the 54th minute as Shalulile scored.
The consistent pressure by the Namibian team once again paid off with Cameroon’s backline forced to commit fouls in dangerous positions, and Namibia awarded a free kick on the edge of the Cameroon box. Iimbondi shot a glorious free kick that threaded through the wall and gave his team a 2-0 lead in the 79th minute.
Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubakar managed to score a consolation goal for his nation deep into stoppage time.
After two matches in a space of four days, Namibia took four points out of a possible six. They currently stand top of Group C with five points followed by Cameroon in second with four points and Burundi at the bottom with one point.
They will face Burundi in their last match of the qualifiers on 12 June 2023 in Bujumbura.
A defeat from Burundi will mean Namibia will remain top of the group with five points while Burundi would be levelled on four points with Cameroon with a game still to play against each other.
And if Burundi beat Cameroon then Namibia will qualify alongside Cameroon, but if they draw then all three teams will be levelled at five points, that is if Burundi collect maximum points from their match against Namibia.
If all teams are levelled on points at the end of the qualification process a head-to-head system will be used for the final two spots.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency