Tough hill to climbWarriors lose Chan qualifier first leg The Brave Warriors have learned the hard way that Madagascar are not to be taken lightly. Madagascar beat Namibia 1-0 yesterday in the first leg of a 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier at the Stade Municipal de Mahamasina in Antananarivo.
Barea scored in the dying minutes of the second half to snatch victory and set up a tantalising second leg in Windhoek.
Warriors' captain Dynamo Fredericks promised before the match they will give their opponents a good run for their money and would attack from the outset.
He was also wary of Madagascar's capabilities, given that they performed exceptionally well at Afcon 2019 in Egypt, where they reached the last-16.
The Warriors will now need to regroup and see if they can turn around the tie, when they meet Madagascar again on 19 October at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
The Chan competition is a biennial football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and exclusively features players who ply their trade within the borders of their countries.
Unlike the African Cup of Nations, the competing national teams must be composed of players playing in their domestic leagues.
Morocco are the defending champions of the Chan competition.
The aggregate winner of the Namibia/Madagascar tie will qualify for the 2020 Chan finals to be held in Cameroon.
The Brave Warriors moved up one position in Fifa world rankings released on Thursday.
They were previously ranked 121st in the world, are now in 120th place, while they at number 30 on the continent.
The top-rated nation in Africa are Senegal, followed by Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco. Belgium are the top-ranked country globally, followed by France, Brazil, England and Portugal.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
Barea scored in the dying minutes of the second half to snatch victory and set up a tantalising second leg in Windhoek.
Warriors' captain Dynamo Fredericks promised before the match they will give their opponents a good run for their money and would attack from the outset.
He was also wary of Madagascar's capabilities, given that they performed exceptionally well at Afcon 2019 in Egypt, where they reached the last-16.
The Warriors will now need to regroup and see if they can turn around the tie, when they meet Madagascar again on 19 October at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
The Chan competition is a biennial football tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and exclusively features players who ply their trade within the borders of their countries.
Unlike the African Cup of Nations, the competing national teams must be composed of players playing in their domestic leagues.
Morocco are the defending champions of the Chan competition.
The aggregate winner of the Namibia/Madagascar tie will qualify for the 2020 Chan finals to be held in Cameroon.
The Brave Warriors moved up one position in Fifa world rankings released on Thursday.
They were previously ranked 121st in the world, are now in 120th place, while they at number 30 on the continent.
The top-rated nation in Africa are Senegal, followed by Tunisia, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco. Belgium are the top-ranked country globally, followed by France, Brazil, England and Portugal.
LIMBA MUPETAMI