The national senior football team “Brave Warriors” were on Tuesday eliminated from contesting for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup after their goalless draw with Botswana at the Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban, South Africa.

Namibia failed to register a win in their group-stage matches at the championships and finished bottom of Group A with two points.

South Africa booked their places in the semi-finals of the 2023 COSAFA Cup after finishing as the group winner with seven points.

In an interview after their goalless draw against Botswana, Namibia's national team coach, Collin Benjamin, said they started the game with three debutants and it’s unfortunate that they did not capitalise on the opportunities they created.

“We started well and created good chances and if we took them we could have scored three goals by halftime,” he said.

The coach added that his goal now is to compete in at least 10 international matches in the remaining six months so that the young and upcoming players can gain more experience.

“We started three debutants in today’s game. I believe the time has come for us to see how these young players can get more matches to their names and gain experience. I would like us to play at least 10 international matches so that they can gain the experience and improve on their execution when competing at this level,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin stated that despite his team not making it to the next round of the competition, he is positive that Namibian football is improving, and believes the future will be bright for the senior national football team.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency