World Cup Qualifying: Namibia coach Collin Benjamin blames ‘silly mistake’ for Malawi’s opener

Namibia national team coach Collin Benjamin believes his side should have done better to defend the first goal after losing 2-1 against Malawi in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture at Obert Itani Chilume Stadium in Botswana on Friday.

The Flames’ Rabson Mbulu pounced after five minutes to put the Flames ahead and Gabadinho Mhango’s cool finish in the 53rd minute doubled the advantage.

Namibia halved the deficit late on when Deon Hotto’s free-kick led to Deon Ndeunyema sweeping in with only four minutes left on the clock, but the Flames held firm through eight minutes of added time to claim a valuable win.

“I think obviously the disappointment is there mostly because we had a good game, we controlled the match and created a few clear chances but we were unable to finish. The opponents managed to find the lead in the first five minutes because of a silly mistake we made and they capitalized on that but its normal,” Benjamin told reporters after the defeat.

“We have to come down and analyse the situation, we have to work on minimizing the mistakes and look forward to the Sao Tome match and we are the Brave Warriors, we are only out when the fat lady sings.”

Having played seven games – three draws, three wins and one defeat, Namibia remained second in Group H with Tunisia leading the log.

The Brave Warriors, will host Sao Tome Principe at the Obed Ithani Chilume Stadium on Tuesday.

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