Collin Benjamin: From Playing for Namibia at AFCON 2008 to Making History in Cote d'Ivoire

• Collin Benjamin has made history in Cote d'Ivoire
• Namibia defeated Tunisia in their Group E opener
• The Brave Warriors will next face South Africa

Namibia pulled the biggest surprise at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after defeating 2004 champions Tunisia in their Group E opener on Tuesday in Korhogo.

Deon Daniel Hotto's 88th-minute header was enough as the Brave Warriors secured their first-ever win at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The 115th-ranked nation came into the tournament without a victory in their nine previous attempts and having missed the 2021 edition in Cameroon, Namibia arrived in Cote d'Ivoire as one of the unfancied sides.

However, under the leadership of former player Collin Benjamin, the Brave Warriors are living up to their nickname.

"We're going to have to be 'brave warriors' on that field," Benjamin told the BBC in an earlier interview.

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Who is Collin Benjamin?

Collin Benjamin is the youngster among the 24 coaches at AFCON 2023. The 45-year-old has been in charge of the Namibian national team as head coach since 2022, taking over from Bobby Samaria after four years as his assistant, as reported by ESPN.

Benjamin started his career in Namibia playing for Civics Windhoek before moving to Germany, where he spent ten years with Hamburger SV, becoming the first player from the South African nation to play in the UEFA Champions League. He ended his career at 1860 Munich before starting his coaching training.

The former midfielder is one of the most decorated players from Namibia, making 41 senior appearances for his country and was at a point the captain of the Brave Warriors.

How Collin Benjamin masterminded Namibia's historical win?

Benjamin started his team by merging the experience of South Africa-based stars Peter Shalulile and Daniel Hotto with young players to form a side hard to beat.

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The Brave Warriors after securing qualification for AFCON 2023, having played most of their home games on neutral grounds started a monitoring process, which involved watching their potential opponents.

Benjamin built his team as a counter-attacking side and looked very dangerous when they surged forward, as observed during their friendly against Ghana and the match against Tunisia. Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Shalulile is the centerpiece of the attack.

Despite being explosive when they break, Namibia are also resolute at the back.

The Brave Warriors started their preparations for AFCON in Ghana, where they faced local side Legon Cities before playing the Black Stars. Both games ended in a draw, proving how difficult they are to beat.

Beating Tunisia was just a statement of intent from Collin Benjamin.

Hotto scores as Namibia beat Tunisia

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Namibia produced the biggest upset in the Ivory Coast by snatching a 1-0 triumph over former champions Tunisia on Tuesday.

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It was a historic first victory in the flagship African tournament for the Brave Warriors, who defeated and drew with another top team, Cameroon, in qualifiers for the 2024 edition.

Deon Hotto headed the only goal of the opening match in Group E with two minutes of regular time remaining to raise the number of surprise results to six from 10 matches after only four days.