* The minnows delivered a hammer blow in the 89th minute when Deon Hotto latched onto a long ball over the top and outpaced the defence before coolly slotting past Bechir Ben Said
* The Orlando Pirates winger thought he had doubled the lead when the offside flag denied him another historic strike
Maravi Express
Confederation of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA) representatives, Namibia produced one of the all-time Africa Cup of Nations shocks by defeating 2004 champions Tunisia 1-0 in this evening’s Group E opener.
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In a cagey first half of few chances, both sides lacked sharpness before Brave Warriors’ late thunderbolt stole the points in a match the Carthage Eagles dominated possession but struggled to penetrate a resolute Namibian backline marshalled by Ivan Kamberipa.
Captain Youssef Msakni tested Lloyd Kazapua with a curled effort but the Tunisians grew frustrated as the game wore on. Yet while the Brave Warriors lacked attacking spark, their tireless industry and organisation kept a star-studded Tunisia at bay.
As a famous upset loomed ever larger, the minnows delivered a hammer blow in the 89th minute when Deon Hotto latched onto a long ball over the top and outpaced the defence before coolly slotting past Bechir Ben Said.
The Orlando Pirates winger thought he had doubled the lead when the offside flag denied him another historic strike but one goal proved enough as Namibia’s warriors held on for the clean sheet to claim a monumental three points.
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Few observers gave the COSAFA underdogs hope before the tournament began but now sides in the tournament will give them serious attention thanks to the massive shock against African giants, Tunisia.
On Sunday, another COSAFA side, Mozambique stunned 7-time champions, Egypt by leading 2-1 towards the end only to succumb to a late penalty, which Mohammed Salah converted to end the match 2-2, coach Kadri said the there is no small team in Africa.
Ghana was also shock to 1-2 defeat at the hands of another COSAFA nation, Cape Verde.
Post Match facts
* Namibia have won their first game in their AFCON history, playing their 10th game in the competition (D2 L7) while Tunisia have failed to score in six of their last eight AFCON games, as many as in their previous 24 games in the competition.
* Tunisia have failed to win their last five opening games in the Africa Cup of Nations, after already doing so for seven AFCONs in a row between 1978 and 2002; Tunisia is the only team to have two five-game winless streaks in AFCON opening games.
* Tunisia have conceded two of their last three goals in AFCON after the 87th minute; the first one happened against Gambia last AFCON and also meant a last-minute defeat in Group phase.
* Namibia have kept the first clean sheet in their AFCON history, after conceding an average 2.66 goals per game in their nine previous games in the competition.
* Taha Khenissi is the first Tunisian player to be subbed off after playing less than 15 minutes in an AFCON game, since Opta collects this data (2010).
* Namibia’s Peter Shalulile has shot six times — including three times on target and these are two all-time best for a Namibian player in an AFCON game since data was collected in 2010.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso scored late to get all three points against Mauritania, who are still chasing their first AFCON win and proved solid in the first half by creating some decent chances.
Issa Kabore was brought down in the box at the closing stages of the game and after VAR review, a penalty was awarded to Burkina Faso, which substitute Bertrand Traore stepped up and converted for them to win all three points and ensure their tournament is on course as the prepare play Algeria next on January 20 in their next game.—Info from CAFonline
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