Andrew Poolman

Windhoek

Forty minutes of playing to their potential should launch the MTC Namibia men’s hockey team to a remarkable quarter-final qualification at the FIH Indoor World Cup in Pretoria later tonight.Their opponents at 21:20 tonight, New Zealand, have leaked a massive 28 goals in just four matches in Pool A so far and are bottom of the six teams.

Despite losing a competitive match against Belgium (world number 8) by 1-4 yesterday morning, the Namibian team under coach Trevor Cormack are on course to advance to the quarter-final by holding on to their fourth position with a win against the Kiwis tonight.

Belgium’s superior finishing ability, led by their main striker Phillipe Simar, took them to a win that did not come nearly as comfortably as the final result suggests.

Hard work

Belgium did take the 2-0 lead with two quick strikes in the 4th minute – the sort of dream start the Namibians will surely strive to copy in their remaining campaign.

Namibia, who on Tuesday night achieved their first-ever win at a men’s indoor world cup (6-2 against Kazakhstan), got on the score sheet with a brilliant goal by Percy Barthram (his fourth of the tournament) in the final seconds before half-time. Barthram was put into space on the left-hand side, and his shot beat the goalkeeper despite a very tight angle.

The deadly Simar, however, completed his hat-trick (his second of the tournament) to put his total at 12 goals so far in this World Cup.

• Meanwhile, the MTC Namibian women’s team were beaten 1-2 by Belgium yesterday, a result that erased their last chance of making the quarter-final.

Captain Maggy Mengo’s team will complete their Pool B fixtures against first-placed Czech Republic today (16:40).