Omusati takes it home! – Sport

Omusati took the coveted Nedbank Namibia Newspaper cup home, after a protracted final match that was eventually decided by a penalty shoot-out. They defeated a spirited Kavango East by 3-1 in a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

Omusati lifts the cup for the second time after its maiden win in 2015. They take the trophy off neighbours Kavango West – who failed to make it past the group stages.
defending champions.

Omusati and Kavango east remained tied at the half-time break with no team able to convert its chances. Despite showing good form and splitting open the defense of Omusati, Kavango East failed to find the back of the net.

On the other side of the field, Omusati showed less hunger for goals but managed to remain composed at the back to ward off Kavango East attacks. It remains 0-0 at half-time.

Kavango East came back more committed in the second half, and showed better display of football across the field. They managed to string together good passes but generally lacked direction as most of their efforts were easily picked up by Omusati goalkeeper.

It was however Omusati that took the game to their opponents in the dying minutes of normal time. Spurred on by the crowd who have shown distain for Kavango east after it knocked out host Omaheke, Omusati created a few chances but could still not find the elusive goal.

Kavango East was dealt a blow when one of its players, Lukas Mbamba was sent off for a reckless tackle in the second half – a loophole that Omusati took advantage off. Kavango East however managed to keep the onslaughts against it at bay and forced the game into extra time.

Thirty minutes of extra time failed to separate the two teams and the game had to be decided on penalties.

Kavango East beat host and pre-tournament favourites Omaheke 4-2 on penalties in the semifinals, while Omusati went past Oshikoto with a 1-0 win.

Kavango East head coach Godulf Mukova said losing to Omusati is most definitely not the end of the road. He said the team will regroup and focus on the future.

“We tried our level best, but the game was tough. The boys are still young and have talent which can take them far in their footballing careers,” he said.

Omusati head coach, Shipena Nakalondo said the win was for the entire Omusati region.

“This win is for the entire Omusati. It is not really the performance I wanted, but we are satisfied that it turned out in our favour in the end. It really was a tough match,” he said.

The winners walked away with N$ 35 000 while runners up received a cash prize of N$ 20 000. Third-place winners walked away with N$10 000