The Namibian national U/17 women’s football team, affectionately known as the Baby Gladiators, suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Malawi in their opening Group A clash of the 2025 Cosafa U/17 Girls’ Championship. 

The match was played on Saturday at the Dr Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek. 

Despite the home crowd’s support, the Baby Gladiators struggled to find their rhythm and paid the price for lapses in concentration, particularly during crucial moments in the first half. 

The team looked unsettled and under-prepared from the outset. 

Their defensive frailties were exposed early on.

The scoring opened in unfortunate fashion when Namibia’s Uakatavisa Tjihiku deflected the ball into her own net after it ricocheted off the post midway through the first half. 

Malawi capitalised on their momentum, with Ethel Tambala doubling the lead just after the half-hour mark with a well-placed strike.

Although Namibia fought hard to get back into the match in the second half, they failed to create clear chances.

They were ultimately punished once more in stoppage time when Faluna Umali added a third goal to seal the victory for Malawi.

Namibian coach Errol Damaseb admitted after the match that his team lost focus during key moments. 

Malawi’s Chisomo Nkhoma acknowledged the challenge of playing the hosts. 

“It wasn’t an easy match. Namibia had the home-ground advantage, but we kept our composure,” she said.

In the day’s earlier fixture, defending champions Zambia began their title defence in style with a commanding 4-0 victory over Mozambique in Group B. 

Ruth Mukoma delivered an impressive performance, netting twice and earning the Player of the Match accolade. 

Teammates Precious Mwape and Natasha Kasema also got on the scoresheet as Zambia underlined their status as early favourites to retain the trophy.

The Cosafa U/17 Girls’ Championship continues this week, with Namibia set to regroup ahead of their next fixture against Comoros tomorrow.

-lmupetami@nepc.com.na