The Brave Warriors' historic and ground-breaking victory over Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament remains the talk of the town on all platforms.

A bullet header by winger Deon Hotto secured Namibia's 1-0 win, completing Namibia's first win in four participations in Africa's soccer showpiece.

For a proper perspective, this winning goal represents the indomitable spirit of the Brave Warriors, placed 115th on the FIFA world rankings, playing against the 28th-ranked team in the world.

No one gave the Warriors a chance, but they stood strong, holding their own against a much-fancied opponent.

A true underdog story.

From the kick-off, a fierce battle, likened to the gladiatorial contests in ancient Rome, ensued; this time the colosseum was the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhogo, Ivory Coast.

No quarter was asked for or given, and the teams went into the break goalless.

All gloves came off in the second half, and an inspired substitution by coach Colin Benjamin provided the breakthrough. 

Following a bit of trickery on the sideline, Betuel Muzeu delivered a pin-point cross onto the head of winger Deon Hotto, who made no mistake with a close-range header.

Hotto's goal was the only goal of the game and was enough for the victory, although he had another disallowed for offside.

When all was said and done, Hotto's wife, Sasha Hotto, was on hand to seal the win with a kiss to the Man of the Match.

But it is the reaction of soccer fanatics, including former coach Ricardo Manetti, Nigerian soccer analyst Stone Avenue, and others from all over the continent, that emboldens Namibians.

Flexing his designation as the first citizen, President Hage Geingob led the celebrations on social media and declared the Brave Warriors a first-class team.

Netizens, however, quickly used the opportunity to plead with the President to declare a public holiday in honour of the team.

Never backing down, Dr. Geingob retorted that a public holiday would be declared on condition that the African Cup returns with the team.

The Brave Warriors stand on the cusp of permanently writing their names in Namibian folklore if they qualify for the second round or beyond, and to achieve the first objective, they still have two matches in Group E.

This Sunday, they face a wounded Bafana Bafana, who lost against Mali, and most of southern Africa will be looking forward to that clash, a regional derby. 

The final group match will be against Mali.

South Africa's 2-0 loss to Mali also did not escape the reaction of the netizens and fans.

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Photo Credits
Footy Namibia

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Author
Blanche Goreses