Winger Deon Hotto of Namibia was the hero of the day as he scored in the 88th minute and stunned Tunisia 1-0 in their AFCON 2023 opener on Tuesday .
The victory is a confirmation of the drama that is unfolding at the AFCON 2023 as teams regarded as underdogs have continued to pull unexpected results that have dominated the first few days of the competition.
In the first Group E match at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, Hotto scored a goal at the back to give the southern African nation, which is ranked 87 places lower than Tunisia in the world, a well-earned victory.
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They were noticeably more adventurous and produced better opportunities.
Poor decision-making cost Namibia, who were playing in their fourth finals and had never won a Cup of Nations finals, the opportunity to win by a larger margin.
The team with the best seed in the group, Tunisia, struggled throughout the match and their goalie, Bechir Ben Said, made several crucial saves to keep Namibian captain Peter Shalulile out of the game.
In addition, Hotto squandered a clear chance in the first half and saw a curling free kick saved just before he popped in at the back post to seal the win.
In the last fifteen minutes, a header that was spectacularly pushed over the top forced Namibian custodian Loydt Kazapua to make a great save, but it was as near as Tunisia got in a match they were supposed to win handily.
The North Africans, ranked third among African teams in FIFA with a total of 28, appeared nervous and uneasy.
Along with Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, and Nigeria, who all lost their initial games in the tournament despite expectations of victory, they are the former winners who have now lost their first match.
The game was Tunisia’s captain Msakni’s ninth tournament participation, matching the record shared by Ghana’s Dede Ayew, Algeria’s Ahmed Hassan, and Cameroon’s Rigobert Song.
The second Group E match between Mali and South Africa takes place at the same location later on Tuesday.