July 05, (THEWILL) – In the opening match of Group A at the 2023 COSAFA Cup held at Durban’s King Zwelithini Stadium, hosts South Africa and neighbouring Namibia played out a 1-1 draw.
The regional championship kicked off on a chilly night, witnessing an exciting clash that was invigorated by the enthusiastic crowd. Botswana, on the other hand, took the lead in the group after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Eswatini in the first game of the day. The only goal of the match came from Lebogang Ditsele, who calmly side-footed the ball into the net from close range.
Namibia’s Elmo Kambindu opened the scoring just before halftime in their encounter against South Africa. Unmarked at the back post, Kambindu had a straightforward header to put his team in front. However, South Africa quickly equalised early in the second half through Rowan Human, who netted his first international goal from 18 yards with a thunderous finish. Despite both teams pushing for a winning goal, neither side managed to find the back of the net again, resulting in a hard-fought stalemate.
Defending champions Zambia will kick off their Group B campaign against perennial rivals Malawi on Thursday. With Zambia eyeing a record seventh COSAFA Cup title, they are considered slight favourites under the guidance of interim coach, Moses Sichone. The two teams have a history in the tournament, having faced each other eight times previously.
Out of those encounters, Zambia has secured four wins while Malawi has managed just two victories, with two matches ending in draws. The last meeting between the sides was a 2-2 draw in Durban in 2019, following Malawi’s wins in Blantyre in 2002 and Phokeng in 2015.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
