Namibia secures historic AFCON knockout stage berth with draw against Mali

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Namibia secures historic AFCON knockout stage berth with draw against Mali

achieved a historic milestone in the Côte d'Ivoire 2023 by securing a draw against , earning them a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament.

The crucial match, held at the Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro, saw both teams playing for a chance to advance to the knockout stage. The game witnessed limited chances created by either side.

Eric Chelle, the head coach of , had to address issues of fatigue within his team and strategize to secure a result.

“We needed a turnover and a change of system because I saw a lot of fatigue in my players, so I had to deal with all that. We started well, but afterwards, it was difficult because we were facing a regrouped block which proceeded against. And they were dangerous. I wanted this first place, but it is not done. The important thing is our qualification. It is a pride to lead this team. We continue to work for the next match. We will have to be effective in our physical preparation for our next match,” said Chelle.

Collin Benjamin, 's coach, expressed immense pride in his team's performance, especially considering their recent 4-0 defeat.

“Proud to be Namibian, proud of my players, proud of their desire. Losing 4-0 three days ago and bouncing back like that against a strong African team is huge. Thanks to our character and mentality, we managed to have this qualification. It was not written for us. When we came here a few weeks ago, no one believed in us. We were told that we were small. We were counting the goals we were going to concede. But we showed that we were strong. This is the message that I and my players sent today. Allow every Namibian to have dreams; that the dream is allowed for everyone but you have to work to make this dream come true.”

Namibia's qualification to the knockout phase is historic, marking their first-ever progression in the .

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