In a stunning upset, Namibia’s national football team secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Tunisia in their opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday.
The southern African country ranked 87 places below Tunisia in the world rankings, dominated the game, and created more chances than their North African opponents.
Deon Hotto, Namibia’s winger, scored the winning goal in the 88th minute when he sneaked in at the back post to tap in a cross from a teammate.
Despite being the top seeds in Group E, Tunisia struggled to impose themselves on the game, and their goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said was called upon to make several key saves to prevent Namibia from extending their lead.
Namibia’s captain, Peter Shalulile, was particularly dangerous but was denied by some excellent saves from Ben Said.
Hotto himself had a chance to score in the first half but missed the target, and later had a free-kick saved before finally breaking the deadlock with his late goal.
Namibia’s victory was their first-ever win in the Africa Cup of Nations and a historic moment for their football team.
Speaking after the game, Namibia coach Collin Benjamin expressed his delight at the result and praised his team’s performance:
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“This is a massive achievement for us, nobody gave us a chance. This is for a country that really needs a lift. We are not in a position to talk big before the match when everybody calls us ‘underdogs’. We can only do our talking on the pitch.”
Tunisia, meanwhile, will be disappointed with their performance and will need to regroup quickly if they are to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.
The North African side, ranked 28th in the world, looked nervous and out of sorts, and struggled to control the midfield.
They join Ghana as former champions who have lost their opening match of the tournament, while several other big teams, including Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, and Nigeria, were held to draws in their opening games.
The match also saw Tunisia captain Youssef Msakni make his eighth tournament appearance, equalling the record held by Rigobert Song (Cameroon), Ahmed Hassan (Egypt), and Ghana’s Dede Ayew.
