Football: Cosafa Cup- Seychelles battle hard but lose in thrilling match

 
 
Local football fans had the chance to see the match live, as it was being broadcast on the Supersport channel on Intelvision and they were treated to a very thrilling tie. The final score of 4-2 would have left many disappointed, but the Seychelles team performed admirably.

Namibia, who are ranked 127th in the world, were facing brave opposition, and Seychelles took the lead twice in the match. La Passe striker Yves Zialor scored twice only to see Namibia equalise on both occasions to ensure the scores were even at the break.

Zialor’s header gave Seychelles a 14th minute lead but a goal from a tight angle by Sadney UriKhob ensured a Namibia equaliser 11 minutes later.

A piece of calamitous goalkeeping from Namibia offered Zialor a second goal in the 38th minute but this time the lead lasted only two minutes before Ananias Gerhardt equalised.

Gerhardt then put Namibia ahead just one minute into the second half before Neville Tjiueza extended the winning margin with just two minutes remaining in the match.

Goalkeeper Jules Monnaie also made some crucial saves to keep Seychelles in the match. Despite the loss, the newly assembled and inexperienced squad showed some encouraging signs and should be able to improve with more exposure.

Seychelles next face our neighbours Mauritius today and will surely be looking for a morale boosting win to help build for the future as we have already been knocked out of the competition along with Mauritius. It is hoped that the national team are able to get more match-practice through friendly matches during the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) international breaks, where countries take the opportunity to test their squads in friendly matches.