Namibia join Zambia in u20 Cosafa Cup semifinals

Namibia completed a perfect Group A campaign at the TotalEnergies CAF under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | Cosafa Qualifier on Tuesday as they defeated Seychelles 3-0 to become the second team to book their place in the semi-finals. Hosts Mozambique also produced an emphatic display as Alírio Cuna scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Mauritius, taking his tournament tally to five goals and putting his side firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stages as the best runner-up. Namibia finished top of Group A with nine points from three matches, having scored five goals without conceding, while Mozambique claimed second place with six points and a goal difference of +7. Seychelles finished third with three points, while Mauritius ended their campaign without a point.

The 12-team competition runs until September 27, with the three pool winners and the best runner-up advancing to the semi-finals. The two finalists will qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027. Namibia had already taken control of Group A with successive 1-0 victories over Mauritius and Mozambique and needed only a draw against Seychelles to guarantee their place in the semi-finals. But the Young Warriors made their intentions clear as Rashid Naobeb opened the scoring in the 15th minute to register his second goal of the tournament. Namibia took that advantage into halftime before Mateus Ashitenda doubled their lead in the 62nd minute. Lukas Sakeus completed the victory 12 minutes from the end as Namibia maintained their 100% record and recorded a third successive clean sheet. The result sees them join Zambia in the semi-finals after the Junior Chipolopolo secured top spot in Group C with a game to spare on Monday. Mozambique also produced an impressive performance…