Agency :
Burundi fought back following a lacklustre first-half performance and managed to score a late goal to hold Namibia 1-1 in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group C qualifier on Saturday.
Namibia’s Brave Warriors put in a dominant first-half display with striker Peter Shalulile spearheading its attack at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg. Shalulile is coming off a fairytale season where he collected the Players’ Player of the Season award, and the Golden Boot in the South African Premier League.
Shalulile collected a long ball at the edge of the box to fire the ball into the top left corner with ease in the 10th minute to put Namibia ahead 1-0.
Burundi came back with a different side in the second half before Kazakhstan-based striker Bonfils Caleb Bimenyimana struck from close range on a cross of center back Frederic Nsabiyumva, who headed a free-kick into Bimenyimana’s path in the 88th minute.
The celebrations were short-lived as the elated Bimenyimana was booked for a second yellow card for removing his shirt while celebrating, setting up a nervous finale.
After 90 minutes, the teams ended up sharing the points and are joint top of Group C with Kenya and Cameroon out of action. Cameroon is scheduled to take on Burundi on June 8 in the next round of fixtures, before facing Namibia on September 21.
