Gladiators ease past Eswatini
Football
Namibia’s senior women’s national football team took a commanding 3-0 victory over Eswatini in their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) first-round qualifier at Somhlolo National Stadium on Friday 2025.
Fiola Vliete opened the scoring in the 10th minute, capitalizing on an assist from Memory Ngonda. Ivonne Kooper doubled Namibia’s lead just 15 minutes later, putting the Brave Gladiators in firm control before halftime.
The game was put beyond doubt in the 90th minute when Hilma Kanyama sealed the victory with a stunning long-range strike.
Eswatini head coach Bongani Makhukhula attributed his team’s loss to showing “too much respect” to their opponents.
“We respected our opponents, which resulted in us conceding those goals. However, moving forward, we will rectify those mistakes,” Makhukhula said in the post-match press conference.
Despite the convincing scoreline, Namibia’s head coach Woody Jacobs acknowledged Eswatini’s effort.
“Eswatini has quality players. It is a pity they couldn’t get lucky to score goals as they had numerous chances,” Jacobs stated.
With this win, the Gladiators carry a strong advantage into the second-leg fixture, set to take place on Tuesday, 25 February, at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner of the tie will advance to the second round, joining 15 other teams in the final qualifying phase, where top-seeded nations like South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia await.
Fiola Vliete opened the scoring in the 10th minute, capitalizing on an assist from Memory Ngonda. Ivonne Kooper doubled Namibia’s lead just 15 minutes later, putting the Brave Gladiators in firm control before halftime.
The game was put beyond doubt in the 90th minute when Hilma Kanyama sealed the victory with a stunning long-range strike.
Eswatini head coach Bongani Makhukhula attributed his team’s loss to showing “too much respect” to their opponents.
“We respected our opponents, which resulted in us conceding those goals. However, moving forward, we will rectify those mistakes,” Makhukhula said in the post-match press conference.
Despite the convincing scoreline, Namibia’s head coach Woody Jacobs acknowledged Eswatini’s effort.
“Eswatini has quality players. It is a pity they couldn’t get lucky to score goals as they had numerous chances,” Jacobs stated.
With this win, the Gladiators carry a strong advantage into the second-leg fixture, set to take place on Tuesday, 25 February, at Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. The winner of the tie will advance to the second round, joining 15 other teams in the final qualifying phase, where top-seeded nations like South Africa, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia await.
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