Namibia secured a historic first victory in the flagship African tournament with a notable win over Tunisia in their opening match of Group E. The Brave Warriors, who had previously drawn with Cameroon in qualifiers for the 2024 edition, displayed exceptional performance as Deon Hotto scored the decisive goal with two minutes remaining in regular time.
The triumph marked the sixth surprising result out of 10 matches within the first four days of the competition. Prior to Namibia’s impressive showing in the northern city of Korhogo, five other former title-holders struggled to secure wins in their opening matches.
This unexpected trend began with Equatorial Guinea holding Nigeria on Sunday, followed by Egypt requiring an added-time penalty from Mohamed Salah to salvage a draw against Mozambique. Cape Verde also scored in added time to defeat Ghana, and on Monday, Guinea held Cameroon to a draw, while Angola recovered from a poor first-half performance to draw 1-1 with Algeria.
Despite Tunisia’s higher ranking, Namibia, ranked 87 places below them, defied the odds, securing a 2-1 victory over Cameroon in a ‘home’ match played in Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The team, led by captain Peter Shalulile of Mamelodi Sundowns, overcame challenges such as sub-standard stadiums and player rustiness to secure a place in the competition.
Looking ahead, Namibia is set to face South Africa in Korhogo on Sunday, followed by a match against Mali in San Pedro the following Wednesday. A single point from these fixtures would likely secure the Brave Warriors a last-16 spot, either as top-two finishers or as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Mali currently leads the Group E table on goal difference, having secured a 2-0 victory over South Africa. In another Group D fixture, Burkina Faso claimed a dramatic 1-0 win over Mauritania, with out-of-favour Aston Villa forward Bertrand Traore converting an added-time penalty.
As the tournament progresses, Wednesday will see the final two opening-round group matches, with Morocco facing Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo taking on Zambia.
(AFP)
