The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has generated plenty of upsets as Namibia on Tuesday night stunned former champions Tunisia 1-0 to record their first AFCON win.
Deon Hotto scored an 89th-minute header from close range to give the Brave Warriors a narrow victory over Carthage Eagles in a Group E fixture played at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Ivory Coast.
It was the first victory for the Brave Warriors in AFCON after two draws and seven losses since they debuted in 1998.
Namibia ranked 87 places lower than Tunisia in the FIFA world rankings where more determined and demonstrated greater ambition to win the match.
It was the first victory for the Brave Warriors in the competition after two draws and seven losses since they debuted in 1998.
It follows Cape Verde’s stunning last-gasp victory over Ghana on Sunday, with seven-time winners Egypt also needing a late penalty to avoid a shock loss to Mozambique.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Desert Warriors of Algeria were also held by Equatorial Guinea and Angola respectively in their opening matches as the bigger nations continued to struggle early on.
Hotto, who plays for South African club Orlando Pirates, raced forward to powerfully head a Bethuel Muzeu cross past goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.
Defeat spoiled what Tunisia captain Youssef Msakni hoped would be a memorable night as he equalled the record of finals appearances by playing at a Cup of Nations an eighth time.
Tunisia came close to scoring after just four minutes when a header from experienced forward Taha Yassine Khenissi was parried to safety by goalkeeper Lloyd Kazapua.
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