Young Warriors fall short against Zambia at Cosafa

Namibia's Young Warriors ended their Cosafa U20 campaign with a 2-1 loss to Zambia in their final group stage encounter in Maputo, Mozambique.

With no chance of advancing to the knockout phase, this match was played largely for pride, as both teams were already eliminated from semi-final contention.

Namibia's head coach, James Britz, stuck with the same starting lineup and 3-5-2 formation as in the previous match against Angola.

Zambia came into the game as favourites, and their strong play from the start showcased their intent.



First half

After just seven minutes, Zambia's captain David Simukonda orchestrated a sequence of passes before finding left-back Samson Ngulube, who whipped a dangerous cross into the box. However, the chance was missed as Mumba Mwale sent the ball over the bar.

Namibia's right-back, Punaje Katjimune, found himself busy for most of the first half, dealing with consistent pressure from Zambia’s attacks on his side.

Namibia struggled to create space to build from the back, leading them to rely on long balls. Ten minutes before halftime, Mwale and Simukonda linked up once again, with Simukonda threading a splitting pass to Emmanuel Mwanza, who confidently slotted the ball into the top corner, giving Zambia a 1-0 lead. Namibia entered halftime trailing by a goal.



Second half

Zambia continued to control the game, extending their lead in the 58th minute.

Namibia's Engilio Goagoseb lost possession near the halfway line, allowing Zambia to counter. Mathews Banda carried the ball forward and found Patrick Simwinga, who delivered a precise cut-back. With a clever dummy from Mwanza, Henry Mbuti found himself in space and calmly placed the ball into the back of the net, doubling Zambia's lead.

Just two minutes later, Namibia pulled one back when Goagoseb curled a beautiful free kick over the wall and into the net, narrowing the deficit to 2-1.

This sparked hope for the Young Warriors, and coach Britz made a double substitution to inject fresh energy, bringing on Hendrick Gurirab and Maurizio January for Goagoseb and Godwin Beukes.

However, Namibia still looked vulnerable at the back, as Zambia continued to press aggressively and maintain a compact midfield.

In the 70th minute Zambia seemed to have scored a third goal, but it was disallowed. Despite creating more opportunities in the final 15 minutes, Zambia could not capitalize.

As the match neared its end, Namibia had a promising opportunity. Michael Jonas made a move from the left and delivered a lobbed pass over the Zambian defence, but substitute Eugene Frederick failed to convert the chance.

Following the 2-1 win, Zambia’s captain David Simukonda was named the player of the match.