The Brave Warriors began their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers with an uninspiring one-all draw against Burundi in the opening game of their Group C game at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The Brave Warriors started off lively and scored the first goal of the match through in-form Mamelodi Sundowns Striker Peter Shalulile whose rasping shot from the edge of the box found the roof of the net in the 10th minute.

The goal came after Shalulile found himself in a one-versus-one situation with a Burundi defender after Ananias Gebhardt had played a beautiful ball behind the defence.

The Namibian striker turned his marker inside out before unleashing a powerful shot into the roof of the net.

The Brave Warriors settled down and continued their domination with Wendell Rudath’s cross-shot attempt that was parried onto the bar by Burundi goalkeeper Jonathan Nahimana.

However, Burundi came back strongly into the game towards the end of the half, but Namibia held on to take a 1-0 lead at halftime.

The away team began the first half the same way they ended the second half, pressuring Namibia into unnecessary mistakes and creating several chances which they failed to convert.

Burundi’s Mohammed Amissi almost equalised for his side but his shot rolled agonisingly wide with Namibia’s goalkeeper Loydt Kazapua beaten.

However, Burundi finally found the equaliser in the 88th minute as defender Frederic Nsabiyumva headed the ball into Bonfilscaleb Bimenyimana’s path whose tame shot rolled into the net with Kazapua and his defenders in sixes and sevens to tie the match one-all at full time.

Brave Warriors coach Bobby Samaria said his team failed to execute the final pass during crucial stages of the match, especially in the second half, which led to them failing to extend their lead.

“We still believe we have a chance because we will play Burundi in Tanzania, which is a neutral venue just like us playing here in South Africa. We will go back and correct our mistakes and work on different strategies for the next matches,” Samaria said.

Namibia is in group C with Cameroon and Burundi following the suspension of Kenya by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).

Namibia next plays Cameroon on 21 September in Cameroon before facing the same team on the 26th of the same month in South Africa.

They will complete the qualifiers with an away fixture against Burundi in Tanzania on 31 March 2023.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency