Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA finished fourth in the COSAFA Under-20 Championship after the Young Brave Warriors suffered a 3-0 defeat to Zambia in the third-place play-off at ABB Stadium in Mozambique on Sunday.
Namibia, who had reached the semi-finals unbeaten and without conceding a goal in the group stage, were unable to secure a place on the podium after Zambia produced a strong second-half performance.
Gift Mumbi opened the scoring for Zambia in the 42nd minute to give the Junior Chipolopolo a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Photos: Cosafa – Council of Southern Africa Football Associations
Sipho Muntanga doubled Zambia’s advantage in the 62nd minute before adding his second goal in the 90th minute of the match to complete the 3-0 victory.
Mumbi was named Player of the Match.
The defeat brought Namibia’s campaign to an end after the Young Brave Warriors had progressed from the group stage with three victories, including a 1-0 win over Mozambique.
Namibia then suffered a 3-0 defeat to Mozambique in the semi-final, ending their hopes of reaching the final and qualifying for the 2027 CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The fourth-place finish matches Namibia’s best previous finish in the competition.
Zambia secured the bronze medal for a second consecutive year after also finishing third when the tournament was hosted in Namibia last year.
The result marked the conclusion of a campaign in which Namibia remained unbeaten in the group stage before suffering back-to-back defeats in the semi-final and third-place play-off.
