adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders players Atlast Musasa and Protash Kabwe ended their season in style by helping their Namibian Premiership side, Tigers, end a 19-year cup to lift the Bidvest Namibia Cup at the weekend.Tigers beat Orlando Pirates, (Namibia) 4-2 in a penalty shootout before a colourful crowd at the Sam Nujoma Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams were tied 1-1 after regulation time, but Tigers held their nerve in the lottery shootout to claim the N$550,000 prize money.
Musasa was surprisingly offloaded by the Highlanders technical team in 2012 and Bosso had continuously failed to unearth a reliable right back since his departure until this year when Webster Chingodzo hit top form.
“I came, I saw and I conquered. To God be the glory,” wrote Musasa on his Facebook timeline expressing his festive mood.
According to The Namibian newspaper, Tigers are the oldest football club in that country and had enjoyed regular success in domestic competitions before independence in 1990.
They last lifted a trophy in 1996 when they won the FA Cup, and before Saturday’s success, had garnered a reputation for being perennial bridesmaids for their numerous runners-up finishes.
They were made to sweat for their latest success by an equally stubborn Pirates side in a highly entertaining encounter.
Tigers shaded the first half in goal-scoring attempts and took an early lead when lanky striker Fillemon Nambele scored after just 10 minutes.
However, Pirates drew level on the half hour mark through a Brendan Goagoseb penalty.
After the break, Tigers regained control of the match but Nambele and company fluffed several scoring chances.
Pirates took control of the second half with top scorer Nicky Musambani leading the charge but they could not find a way past Tigers’ goal-minder Lloyd Kazapua, who dealt superbly with every threat.
Musambani, substitute forward Marcello Haraseb and tricky winger Henrico Hoebeb carried Pirates threat into extra time as they ran rings around the Tigers’ defence but the killer punch was lacking.
On the other end, Nambele, midfielders Letu Shatimuene, Kabwe and Absalom Iimbondi linked up well but their hard work was undone by a combination of dogged last ditch defending from Pirates and poor decision-making on the part of the attackers.
With neither side able to find the winning goal, the match had to be decided by the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
Pirates skipper van Staden missed the first spot kick when he shot tamely straight at Kazapua, while Shatimuene scored Tigers’ first to hand his side the advantage.
The next five kickers were all successful before Kazapua again came out tops by saving from Haraseb’s effort to send his side into wild celebrations.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter