Namibia's Ricardo Mannetti: We weren't prepared

by Staff Reporter

Monday Sep 05, 2016. 16:12

After their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Senegal, Namibia coach Ricardo Mannetti says his team faced a number of difficulties ahead of the tie.

The Brave Warriors lost their final Group K encounter of the 2017 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Dakar on Saturday.

However, the coach expressed delight despite facing challenges such as missing his key players.

Inspite of the disappointing result, the former Warriors international praised his side including his goalkeeper Maximillian Mbaeva.

DANNY JORDAAN URGES SUPPORTERS TO COME IN NUMBERS FOR SA V EGYPT

“After all the difficulties we faced ahead of this game and missing some key players, the guys that played today, it was their first competitive game in over two months and against European-based players, we were remarkable and showed great character”, Mannetti said.

“Max (Mbaeva) was wonderful in goal today and did so well with all the pressure and exceptional talent of Senegal.

“Our players played to our tactics and frustrated the opposition for the better parts of the game and I bet if we could have prepared better, the outcome could have been even better reading.

“The issues back home took a toll on the boys but they remained great sons and true ambassadors.”

The Lions of Teranga finished as group winners with 18 points whilst Namibia remain placed at number three.