Kanalelo’s Unam gets winning taste
NPL round 7
Blue Waters remained at the front of the pack with a 1-0 win at Karasburg against Young Brazilians.
Despite moments in the first half where he displayed some characteristically animated and vocal reactions on the touchline, University of Namibia (Unam) coach Ronnie Kanalelo was pleased with his side achieving their first winning points of the Debmarine Namibia Premier League, with a 2-0 home win against Citizens on Saturday.Striker Vita Puraje found the target twice in the first half to put the Clever Boys in control, while no goals were added in the second half of a windy afternoon at the Unam Stadium.
“We’ve had three draws from our first four matches and a loss in our opening match against African Stars, so this is quite a good feeling,” Kanalelo said.
“Today, we were able to breach their defensive line and put the goals into the net, so that’s a positive sign.
“We have quite young and inexperienced squad. And we are asking a lot of new tactical questions of them. It’s a complex game we are aiming to play, but the players are giving their level best.
“There are still moments where the decision-making could improve according to the situation. We could still look at strengthening our midfield and physically we could still improve our fitness against teams that play the long ball forward, bypassing the midfield.”
Lack of finishing
Meanwhile, Tura Magic coach Timo Tjongarero lamented his team’s lack of finishing that cost them a 0-1 loss against Civics at the Unam Stadium.
“We started pretty slow, but we created about six clear scoring chances in front of the goal, of which we did not convert any. Only in Namibia! We should expect better of former national players. Are people not watching the World Cup?” he asked.
In other results, at Karasburg, Walvis Bay travellers and log leaders Blue Waters added a vital two points with a 1-0 win against Young Brazilians.
The Otjiwarongo derby between Mighty Gunners and Life Fighters ended in a 3-1 win for the Gunners, with both teams remaining in the top half of the 14 contesting teams.
At Rundu, second-placed Julinho Sporting were brought down to earth in a 0-3 loss to Okahandja United.
Last Thursday, Tigers took a 2-1 win against powerhouse Black Africa, while on Wednesday night, Orlando Pirates won 2-0 against Young African.