Namibia and Equatorial Guinea draw blanks
03/24/2025 10:29 AM
Namibia remain undefeated in Group H after they played out to a 0-0 draw with Equatorial Guinea in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Orlando Stadium on Monday, March 24.
After a goalless first half, Collin Benjamin’s side hit the front through Peter Shalulile on 51 minutes, only for Saul Coco to restore parity soon afterwards to earn the National Thunder a share of the spoils.
The Brave Warriors closed within a point of group leaders Tunisia in second place, while Equatorial Guinea went level with Liberia (3rd), but behind them on goal difference.
Namibia were still unbeaten at the midway point of the qualifying campaign and they had a chance to claim top spot from the Eagles of Carthage, who were only due to play Malawi later on in the evening.
The visitors would have been in confident mood, however, after a 2-0 victory over Sao Tome and Príncipe took them level with the Flames on six points and made it two wins on the spin.
The first half wasn’t a great spectacle of football though, with both teams managing just one shot each and Jesus Owono barely being tested as he saved a weakly-struck effort on 28 minutes.
The hosts enjoyed a large chunk of the possession in the opening 45 minutes, but they struggled to carve out any decent opportunities and the score remained unchanged at the break.
The match eventually came to life six minutes after the restart when Shalulile was presented with a simple tap-in from Deon Hotto’s exquisite cross which the visiting defence failed to deal with.
The Brave Warriors’ lead lasted a mere three minutes though, as Coco capitalised on a poor attempt from Edward Maova to keep a corner out, with the goalkeeper only succeeding in parrying the ball into the path of the defender, who accepted the gift to equalise.
Namibia pushed for a second goal in the closing stages and Juan Micha’s side seemed happy to commit all 11 players behind the ball in a bid to hold on for a point.
The Southwest Africans became more desperate as the clock ticked down, rushing their passes in the final third to offer very little threat on Owono’s goal.
In the end the National Thunder achieved their game-plan of frustrating the opposition in the second half to claim their seventh point in the group.
Namibia (0) 1 (Shalulile 51′)
Equatorial Guinea (0) 1 (Coco 54′)
