Ryan Nyambe made his international debut as Namibia shocked Ghana on Sunday night.

Nyambe is expected to be named in the final 23-man Brave Warriors squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations which starts later this month having pledged his international allegiance to Namibia.

The 21-year-old played the full 90 minutes in Dubai as Namibia pulled off a surprise 1-0 victory.

 

 

Namibia face a tough qualifying group, paired with South Africa, Morocco and Ivory Coast, but will be boosted by the victory over Ghana courtesy of a Manfred Starke second half goal.

Ghana's Mubarak Wakaso’s saw his penalty saved, with coach Ricardo Mannetti praising the display of Namibia goalkeeper Loydt Kazapua.

He said: “The guys that started the match played so well and worked their socks off and Loydt Kazapua was our man of the match with some fine crucial saves.

“He was very consistent and confident throughout the match.

“The guys that came on made sure we kept our composure and kept the scoreline protected.”

Nyambe is the most high-profile member of the squad, but had previously turned down requests to play for his country before his decision to play in the upcoming tournament.

That will see him miss Rovers’ training camp in Austria, and the early weeks of pre-season, with group games against Morocco (June 23), South Africa (June 28) and Ivory Coast (July 1).