The senior national men’s football team lost its final match of the qualifiers 2-3 against Burundi and will now have to wait for the outcome of the games between Cameroon and Burundi in September.

The Brave Warriors, as the team is affectionately known, conceded two early goals against Burundi in Tanzania on Tuesday afternoon in their final match of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.

Lack of concentration between the defence and goalkeeping department saw Burundi grabbing early goals in the first half but the Namibian team managed to pull a goal back through their talisman Peter Shalulile before the halftime break to make it 1-2 at halftime.

In the second half, Burundi once again extended their lead despite the Namibian team having most of the possession. A late goal from Wendell Rudath in the 85th minute was not enough for the Brave Warriors to collect the much-needed one point which would have seen them automatically qualifying for the continental showpiece.

Despite their defeat, Namibia still sits atop Group C in the Afcon qualifiers with five points from three games.

Burundi and Cameroon are levelled on four points but Cameroon occupies second position while Burundi is third, based on the head-to-head between the two sides.

Namibia’s qualification for the 2023 Ivory Coast Afcon will now be dependent on the final results of the Afcon qualifiers between Cameroon and Burundi on 04 September 2023 in Cameroon.

A draw from the two teams will mean all teams in Group C will be levelled on five points and Namibia will not qualify for the competition based on the head-to-head comparison against Burundi.

The only way Namibia can book a place on a table with the best teams in Africa come January 2024, is a win from either side in their final match.

This will then mean Namibia will complete the qualifiers with five points while the winning team will top the group with seven points.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency