/ 30 June 1999

NAMIBIA SHOCK NIGERIA

LITTLE Namibia shocked title holders Nigeria 3-2 here on Sunday in the second leg of an Olympic Games first-round qualifying tie. Nigeria advanced 6-3 on aggregate following a 4-0 first-leg win in Lagos two weeks ago and face Angola, Uganda and Zimbabwe in a mini-league with the winners booking a berth at the 2000 finals in Australia. Namibia rocked the defending champions by taking a two-goal lead after 29 minutes through close-range shots from German-based Razundura Tjikuzu and Collin Benjamin. The goals triggered a frantic reaction from the Nigerians, who pulled one back before half-time through Oluwole Johnson and levelled after 55 minutes when Ikedie Pius struck from an acute angle. Paulus Shipanga set up fellow substitute Nico Nicodemus for a late winner in a match that thrilled a small crowd at the Independence Stadium in the Namibian capital.