Samaria Expects Tough Match Against Eritrea

Namibia national team interim head coach Bobby Samaria is anticipating a “tough game” against Eritrea when they meet in the second leg of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

The Brave Warriors struggled for a 2-1 win in Asmara and coach Samaria is aware of the quality of Eritrea and believes there will be a tough nut to crack for his team.

“We did not know them well, but we did well. Now, they are an open book, and surely our planning will be different,” Samaria told the NFA website yesterday.

“They had about seven Europe-based players, and I understand they will add four more, so it will not be an easy game at all. It means they still believe, and that means we have to work very hard to get over the line,” said the hard taskmaster.

Team captain Petrus Chitembi echoed the coach’s sentiments saying that the team will not underestimate their opponents.

“I expect a difficult match. They will definitely be looking to cause an upset,” he said.

“It’s good that we got two away goals, but obviously the job isn’t done yet. So, we need to go out tomorrow and give it our all again.”

Although Namibia won the match by a narrow margin against away in Eritrea, they exhibited class and appear to be keeping plenty in reserve for Tuesday’s match.

Joslin Kamakuta displayed dribbling skills rarely seen in this tournament and his clever pass freed scorer Peter Shalulile, who had timed his dart forward perfectly for the opener.

Kamakuta was then involved in the second goal as he forced an error from a defender who then conceded an own goal to extend the lead for Namibians.

The Namibia-Eritrea clash on Tuesday is set to be played at Sam Nujoma Stadium in Katutura and will kick-off at 8:00 pm Namibia time.