The template of how to defend, frustrate and then shake an opponent out of 2015 Cosafa Cup stride was already laid down, so all the Zebras of Botswana needed was apply such suffocating tactics and dump out Ephraim Shakes Mashaba and his Bafana Bafana on Sunday afternoon.
The Brave Warriors of Namibia had continued shutting up of critics and form book, chocked the life out of defending champions Zambia with a 4-3 post-match penalty defeat in an earlier kick-off at Moruleng Stadium in platinum-rich mountainous North West Province.
The defeat is what stripped Zambia coach Honor Chanza of honour earlier at the stadium where the Warriors sat back and defended like Shaka Zulu foot soldiers.
Namibia Virgil Vries stopped just about anything that the likes of Mukuka Mulenga and Jimmy Ndhlovu threw at him.
Regulation time ended goalless paving way for post-match penalties.
And when Ndhlovu stepped forward to take a penalty, Vries stopped him and his Zambia in their tracks as the Chipolopolo fell from grace.
The outgoing holders will, alongside South Africa and two other rejects yet to emerge, now compete in consolation Cosafa Plate Trophy which pools four quarter-final rejects of the 14-member regional showpiece.
English coach Peter Butler of Botswana also simply had to instruct his charges not to try and compete pound for pound with Bafana.
Key to such ‘bus parking’ strategy was, as Namibia experimented, in solid goalkeeping. For Botswana, in stepped between the sticks Kabelo Dambe who twisted his,limbs, neck and thumped his back on the ground to thwart South Africa.
If you dominate a game and not score, you give in to frustrations, Chanza had earlier said while adding: “Tactically we were not strong. We lost the game in the first-half.”
