Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA’S Young Warriors have reached the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations COSAFA Qualifier after completing a perfect Group A campaign with a 3-0 victory over Seychelles on Tuesday.
Namibia finished top of Group A with nine points from three matches, scoring five goals without conceding, while Mozambique finished second with six points after beating Mauritius 5-0.
The Young Warriors had already taken control of the group with successive 1-0 victories over Mauritius and Mozambique, meaning they only needed a draw against Seychelles to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Photos: Cosafa – Council of Southern Africa Football Associations
However, Namibia maintained their 100% record as Rashid Naobeb opened the scoring in the 15th minute with his second goal of the tournament.
Mateus Ashitenda doubled Namibia’s advantage in the 62nd minute before Lukas Sakeus completed the victory 12 minutes from the end.
The result also gave Namibia a third successive clean sheet as they advanced alongside Zambia, who secured top spot in Group C.
The semi-finals will be played on Friday, 25 September, at ABB Stadium in Maputo/Matola, Mozambique, with Namibia facing Mozambique, while South Africa takes on Zambia.
South Africa and Zambia both finished top of their respective groups with nine points from three matches, joining Namibia with perfect records.
Mozambique advanced as the best runner-up after finishing on six points, nine goals scored and two conceded, edging Angola on fair-play points after the two sides finished with identical records.
The semi-final winners will advance to the final on Sunday, 27 September.
Photos: Cosafa – Council of Southern Africa Football Associations
