Deon Hotto netted a late goal to hand Namibia a 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their opening Africa Cup of Nations clash at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo.
After two draws and seven losses in the competition since their 1998 debut, it was the Brave Warriors’ first win.
Hotto, who plays for Orlando Pirates in South Africa, charged forward and forcefully headed a cross from Bethuel Muzeu past goalie Bechir Ben Said.
In added time, Hotto had the ball in the net once more, but a slight offside call disallowed the goal.
Namibia had more shots on goal and more goal attempts than Tunisia did before the thrilling conclusion.
Youssef Msakni, the captain of Tunisia, equalled the record for most final appearances by playing in a Cup of Nations eight times, but defeat spoiled what he hoped would be an unforgettable night.
After just four minutes, a header from seasoned forward Taha Yassine Khenissi nearly put Tunisia ahead, but keeper Lloyd Kazapua parried it away.
Soon after, Ben Said stopped a snapshot taken by Peter Shalulile, the star and captain of the Namibian team and player for the defending South African champion Mamelodi Sundowns.
After focusing mostly on defence in the beginning, Namibia progressively increased their offensive efforts against the 2004 African champions.
After just fifteen minutes, Khenissi was forced off with injuries, and Haythem Jouini took over in the Tunisian attack.
A promising move that looked likely to break the stalemate ended in disappointment when Hotto made a poor pass inside the box.
To the relief of both teams, the referee stopped play midway through the first half for a water break. The temperature was 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) at kickoff at 1700 local (GMT) time.
The coach of Senegal, the 2022 Cup of Nations winners, Aliou Cisse, stated this week that playing in such heat is challenging.
“I am appealing to CAF (Confederation of African Football) to look at the issue of kick-off times, particularly those matches starting at 1400 local (GMT) time,” he told reporters.
The second half at the 20,000-seat Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly got off to a dramatic start with Msakni coming dangerously close to opening the score for the Carthage Eagles.
Kazapua, merely Chippa United’s reserve custodian, brilliantly tipped his near-post header off a corner over the bar. Kazapua plays in the South African top league.
Stanley Nwabili, who is also present at the African football championship and represented Nigeria in a draw with Equatorial Guinea two days prior, is the first pick at Chippa.
In the second game of a Group E doubleheader later on Tuesday, Mali takes on South Africa in the northernmost of the five Ivorian cities hosting games.
Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
