Gaborone. A shock right from the off.
First match. First setback. Claude Le Roy’s Congo-Brazzaville went down 1-0 to Namibia on Thursday in their opening match of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. Nobody saw that one coming.
Bethuel Muzeu. Remember the name. The Namibian striker struck just after the break, on 47 minutes, to hand his side the win. One goal was enough to bring down the Red Devils, who had been expected to be somewhere else entirely.
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Le Roy, and a difficult comeback
Claude Le Roy knows Africa better than most. The French coach, crowned African champion with Cameroon in 1988, has since taken charge of Senegal, Ghana, DR Congo, Togo and Rwanda. An extraordinary career across the continent, now continued on the Congo-Brazzaville bench. But this start has fallen flat. The team has not featured at AFCON since 2015. Eleven years away, and the pressure on the French coach is only going one way.
Namibia, meanwhile, are enjoying the moment. The Brave Warriors, long used to upsetting the odds, have made the perfect start to their campaign. Another away win, another sign that Namibian football keeps climbing on the continental stage.
Time to react, or start worrying
For Claude Le Roy and his players, the message is simple: respond fast. They need a result on matchday two, or qualification could start slipping away. The group also includes Cameroon, who beat the Comoros on the same day, and the Comoros themselves. It already looks like a steep climb for the Red Devils.
Namibia, for their part, keep banking experience. After reaching the last three AFCON finals, including the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, they have established themselves as one of the sides that can cause a few headaches. They did it again on Thursday, against a team widely tipped to have the edge on paper.
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