Namibia coach admits Shalulile absence played role in Bafana draw

Namibia head coach Collin Benjamin admitted his side missed Mamelodi Sundowns and Brave Warriors star striker Peter Shalulile after they drew 0-0 with Bafana Bafana in a friendly at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Shalulile was missing with a hamstring injury and despite being on the back foot for much of the game, Namibia wasted several opportunities that Shalulile may well have finished off.

“If you have a striker of his quality you know one (of the chances) would go in. You can’t replace that in the team. His team (Sundowns) is finding it dififcult to replace him so how do you think it is for us?” said Benjamin.

“For us it gives other opportunities to players that they have to take. You can only learn from these matches, you have to go into the middle of the area and put it in,” he added in reference to one particular miss from Absalom Ilmbondi.

“It is a about experience and what we needs is these kinds of games.”

‘It will be huge’

Namibia have an excellent chance of qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals, only slightly sweating on Tuesday’s final group match between Cameroon and Burundi. If the game ends in anything other than a high scoring draw (3-3 or higher) the Brave Warriors will make it to the Ivory Coast.

“Luckily we could come here and play and get it off our minds, the wait continues, but we are confident we will make it, if you look at our group, then against this is football.

“It will be huge (to qualify) if you look at our history we are not as fortunate as our big brothers up here (Bafana) we cannot just qualify like that. It takes a lot of hard work, if you look at our history we were there in 2008 and then in 2019. If we do it again four years later, it will be an achievement, especially if you look at where we have come from.”