Oshakati based Lions to ‘roar’ in Brazil at Neymar Jr’s signature tourney
Oshakati based football team, Lions, were recently crowned the national champions of the Neymar five-a-side football tournament and will represent the country in Brazil on 21 July.
The team emerged winners after going through an intense group stages during the month of June that saw them progress to the finals against Windhoek based team, Bethlehem United.
In the final Bethlehem United started off strong and almost outplayed the Lions and came close to scoring on multiple occasions, but it was not their day as the Lions kept their composure and remained focused until the last minute.
The final match resulted in a draw of 0-0 and as a result, the one-on-one rule had to be implemented to break the tie and decide which team will represent Namibia.
Lions’ captain Pieter Hailombe netted the crucial goal that saw their dreams become reality to represent the country.
Hailombe said this will be the first time for the team to fly out of Namibia. “We worked hard for this and it is a dream come true. Representing our country doing what we love, is the best thing ever. We look forward to the experience. Thank you Red Bull, Bank Windhoek and all the other sponsors for making this possible,” he added.
Namibia at the tournament will be part of the 64 countries lined up to take part at the World Final at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. Praia Grande, in Brazil. The location of the World Final, Instituto Projeto Neymar, is a private, non-profit association dedicated to social causes, set up by Neymar and his family.
