Flames out to break jinx against Namibia

The Flames have vowed to fight every inch of the way in the quest to break the Namibia jinx when they engage Brave Warriors this evening in a crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier at Independence Stadium in Windhoek.

That the Flames have lost all their six past competitive meetings against Namibia is well documented, but somehow caretaker coach Eddington ‘Dala’ Ng’onamo and  his troops believe they could turn it around and start a new chapter by scorching the Brave Warriors.

However,  Ng’onamo is aware that it will take something special, one and a half hours of solid determination to realise such a dream and earn a result against a side that gives away too little at it own fortress.

He claimed that even after the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Botswana’s Zebras in Tuesday’s build-up match, the Flames have found the determination to believe that they are not lambs being led to the slaughter house and this time around, they have vowed to emerge from the cauldron of Independence Stadium, bruised but triumphant.    

Responding to a question as to whether he feels the Flames can really defy the odds and scorch the Warriors right at their backyard, Ng’onamo borrowed the famous words from United States President Barack Obama with an emphatic response: “Yes! We can!”

But what makes the Flames caretaker coach so confident, considering the Flames continued lack of firepower upfront?

“This is a different game and we have tried to work on our weaknesses, especially composure in front of goal. There were lessons learnt from the [friendly] game against Botswana and we expect a much-improved performance against Namibia.

“We should also not read too much in the result against Botswana as it was aimed at giving us an opportunity to assess the players as well as trying several combinations and I believe we successfully did that and it is now up to the players on how they will apply themselves. 

“We have to concentrate on the task at hand while being mindful of where we are coming from,” said Ng’onamo in a telephone interview from Namibia.

The Flames are third in the group with two points from two games, two points short of group leaders Nigeria’s Super Eagles. Namibia are second with three points while Kenya anchor the group with a single point.

“Of course, we’ll be cautious as we’ll be playing away, but our target is to collect all the three points that are on offer and we know that if we play well, we have a good chance of posting a crucial away win and [that] target is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility.

“We have told the players to go out there and give out something extra for the cause of their motherland and they know what is at stake,” said Ng’onamo sounding rather confident in a telephone interview from Windhoek.

Sometimes one wonders where he gets all the confidence from, but optimism was all he had on Thursday.

Captain Joseph ‘Shakira’ Kamwendo, who missed the Botswana friendly alongside his Liga Maculmana teammate Zicco Mkanda and revived South Africa-based forward Atusaye ‘Atute’ Nyondo, also said the Flames are looking forward to the encounter with a degree of confidence.

“The spirits in camp in the countdown to the match are high and the guys are determined to play their lungs out to get a positive result.

“We know that if we can give 100 percent effort, we can register a positive result and that is what makes football such an interesting game because anything can happen and it just depends on how we apply ourselves.

“It’s a massive game and we can hardly wait for Saturday and, for me personally, it’s an honour that I have also been given the respect by my country to lead them during such a big game. I am just urging the entire nation to rally behind us as we plunge into this battle,” said Kamwendo.

Namibia’s caretaker coach Bernard Kaanjuka declared that his charges are ready to give their all this evening.

“They know what it takes [to win] and they know what they have to do on Saturday… I have no doubt they can do the job and do it well,” Kaanjuka was quoted as saying by The Namibian. 

Soccer commentator Charles Nyirenda noted that it will be important for the Flames to get through the psychological barrier, considering that they have never beaten Namibia in a competitive match before.

“Everyone, including assistant coaches [Ernest Mtawali and Patrick Mabedi] are aware of how we have struggled against Namibia in competitive games.

“But the past belongs to the past. We have beaten them [Namibia] twice [2-1 and 3-1] in recent times in international friendly matches and that should give our players reason to believe it can be done. The other factor is that it has been sometime since we last played them in a competitive game,” said Nyirenda.

He also said the other crucial factor would be the approach.

“The coaches are getting into untested waters and they must push to score first so as to unsettle the Namibians. Combination will also be a crucial factor as some players will be playing together for the first time.

“But one thing is for sure. We’ll need to be cautious because as expected, Namibia will be dangerous playing at home, knowing that if they lose, then their campaign will be ruined. So, they are likely to start full throttle,” said Nyirenda.

By 7pm we’ll know the Flames fate.

The last time the two teams met in an official international friendly match was in 2011 when the Flames came out 2-1 victors in Windhoek under Kinnah Phiri. And the last time they met in a competitive game was during the 2008 Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup in Seccunda, South Africa, where Namibia emerged 1-0 victors.

Ng’onamo said he is likely to feature a 4-4-2 formation.