A brace by Zenatha Coleman against Gambia at the EI Jadida- El Abdi stadium in Morocco on Sunday,24 September 2024 saw the Gladiators through to the second round of the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Qualifiers. The Gladiators defeated Gambia 2-0.
In the first match, Gambia hosted the Gladiators at the EI Jadida El Abdi stadium on 21 September and went down 3-2. Lovisa Mulunga opened the score line with a well-rounded header after collecting it from teammate Zenatha Coleman off a corner. Ivonne Kopper was one on one with Gambia’s goalkeeper when she secured the second goal for Namibia.
A brace from Fatou Kaneth evened the score line during the second half line but the last match goal by Zenatha Coleman settled the contest in favor of Namibia.
In the second leg, Namibia hosted Gambia at the same venue on 24 September. Brave Gladiators captain, Zenatha Coleman put her side in the lead when she scored in the 15th minute.
While the Scorpion Queen’s were still trying to regroup, the Namibian side increased their lead minutes later – Ndapewa Katuta’s perfect pass finding Coleman who hit the back of the net again.
Vanessa Kanyama from Ongwediva Queens and Vijakura Tjingaete from Girls & Goals both made their national team debuts.
The Namibian side is scheduled to play Ghana in November for the second round, the winner will automatically qualify for the WAFCON Tournament to be staged in Morocco, dates to be communicated by CAF.