COSAFA U-20: Botswana showed mental character- Nthaga
- Peter Kanjere
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
Botswana under-20 boys’ football team coach, Thaloba Nthaga, has lauded his side for showing mental character to beat Eswatini 3-1 on Saturday in Namibia.
The coach highlighted the importance of starting the Group B race with a win, saying there are tougher challenges ahead hence collecting points would not be easy.
“Being the first game, it was very crucial that we got the three points even though we are playing against tough teams in our group, specifically Zambia and South Africa,” Nthaga told COSAFA media.
“We played in patches. In the first few minutes, we played very well. Subsequently, we started playing long balls which is not our game. We struggled a bit, especially that we were playing against the wind. Of course, there was a lapse in the setplay that led to 2-1 but the mental strength to come back and score the third goal was very key.”
Tumiso Tshotlego and Molwantwa Ngube put the young Zebras ahead before Eswatini’s Phiwayinkhosi Dube reduced the deficit. Botswana restored their two-goal lead through Irvin Evans’ goal.
In another game for the group, South Africa and Zambia drew three-all at the UNAM Stadium. The action continues on Sunday when Angola take on Malawi at the Hage Geingob Stadium (kick-off 12h00 CAT / 10h00 GMT).
