Peter Shalulile on opening doors for Namibian footballers to shine at Afcon

Speaking to SABC Sport after a hard-fought and well-deserved 2-1 win over five times African champions Cameroon at the Dobsonville stadium, Shalulile says this victory is a game changer.

With just a few players from their team in the Premier Soccer League’s Premier Division, Shalulile foresees an improvement after this Afcon qualification.

"This is because the hard work that we have been putting in has paid off. It means a lot to me and to the coach as well because he just took over. We believe in him and he believes in us. So, for us to give him a reward, that's what we had to do today. There are players that were really struggling at home but now that we are playing well, people know that they can get good players in Namibia. Not only Peter Shalulile but there are a lot of Peter Shalulile's that side," he said.

The qualification of Namibia to their fourth AFCON might not be official yet, but the chances of them missing out now are very slim.

They lead a three-team Group C with five points, followed by Cameroon with four and Burundi with only one point.

 They only need a draw in the last game against Burundi in June, but even with a loss, they would still be ahead of them. The last game in this group would be a home game of Cameroon against Burundi, and Namibia have a better head-to-head record against the Indomitable Lions, and playing for a draw won’t be ideal for them.

Head coach Colin Benjamin says this international week has gone according to the script.

"It goes with a lot of preparation and also belief in the players and the material that we have. I think as Namibian players, we have good abilities. We bring a lot of quality with and that quality we can't talk about, we have to show it. I think our players in these two games showed that, that we can go dance in the lion's den," Benjamin said.

Shalulile, is also returning from this international week as an all-time leading goal scorer of the Brave Warriors with 15 goals after scoring in back-to-back matches against the top defenders of Cameroon from European clubs. And there’s no stopping him, judging by his response.

"As a striker, you can never be satisfied, even if I score one, I could have scored three today. For me, it's going back to the drawing board and doing more finishing and making sure that I become a clinical poaching striker like in Europe," Shalulile concluded.