Debmarine Namibia Premiership outfit Black Africa won their first match of the season 1-0 against archrivals Orlando Pirates in the Katutura derby played at the UNAM Stadium on Saturday.
Black Africa, who went into the game without a win from their last six encounters, found the going tough in the opening minutes of the match against Pirates, who have thus far won their last two games of the Premier League.
Pirates dominated play in the Katutura derby but their final touch in the opponent’s box failed them as Black Africa found the back of the net just 14 minutes into the game through Dell /Goagoseb, who capitalised on a ball that hit the crossbar after the goalkeeper’s save did not get the ball across the bar and he tapped it in.
With a goal down Pirates continued with their dominance of the game, but failed to capitalise on all created chances as the ball was either kicked wide or ball control led to the ball being lost in the box.
The second half saw Pirates once again controlling play, but their final touch once again failed them, leaving a handful of Pirates spectators angry at their team for losing their last game of the year.
In an interview with Nampa after the match, Black Africa coach Brian Isaacs said he was happy to collect maximum points in the last fixture of the year.
“This is a derby and winning it means a lot to us. This moment has been coming for a long time as we drew our last two matches. The win means a lot to the supporters and players,” he said.
Isaacs added that the momentum means a lot for the team but going into the break will mean they will have to work hard to regain their fitness again.
Meanwhile, Pirates assistant coach Michael Pienaar said he was happy with his team’s performance, but their final touch failed them.
“We failed to capitalise on all the opportunities we had in the box but losing this game puts a dent in our plans to be part of the top five on the log going into the break,” he said, adding that despite the break they will continue training as some of their players’ fitness levels are not where they want them to be.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency