Nigeria made the trip to Blantyre to take on a solid Malawi side. Group F is one that the Super Eagles looked destined to dominate, but their hosts were not privy to that knowledge. Nigeria played better than their foes in the opening period, but no goals were found.
In the next period, the Super Eagles continued to show their superiority. Finally, Ruben Gabriel (pictured, green) was able to put Nigeria on top with one minute left in the match. However, Raheem Lawal lost the ball in the middle of the pitch, allowing Malawi to run up the field and score a stoppage time goal authored by John Banda, giving the home crowd reason to celebrate a 1-1 draw. Nigeria were inconsolable in the locker room after the match with Lawal reduced to tears.
Namibia welcomed the Harambee Stars of Kenya to a battle in Windhoek. The Brave Warriors trotted out a young side to face Kenya in the freezing temperatures. Kenya were the first team to heat up, firing multiple shots from distance but gaining no reward. Slowly but surely, Namibia started to gain traction. The emphasis is on the word "slowly" as the half finished scoreless.
Nearing the end of the match, Namibia hit the crossbar via a Lazarus Kaimbi shot. However, it was the only man above age thirty who ultimately struck gold for the home side. Henrico Botes headed home the winning goal five minutes from time. Namibia win 1-0.
Nigeria 4 pts +1
Namibia 3 pts 0Malawi 2 pts 0
Kenya 1 pts -1
Goals
Nigeria
Ruben Gabriel 89
Malawi
John Banda 90+2
Namibia
Henrico Botes 85
Match Reports:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201206110773.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/201206111489.html
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