THE Brave Warriors may yet get Cameroon coach Rigobert Song fired after "stealing a point" in Yaounde following a 1-1 stalemate on Friday night.
What the Indomitable Lions expected to be a routine outing turned into a battle of attrition, which saw Namibia boosting its qualifying chances and caused embarrassment for the hosts, ranked 80 places higher than the Brave Warriors.
The result leaves Cameroon on top of Group C on four points from two matches, but Namibia have now moved into second place on two points, with Burundi third on one point.
Fielding questions from inquisitive reporters after the match, Song, a colourful charter during his playing days, was not in a merry mood, the Cameroon News Agency reported.
The outcome of Friday's clash was particularly hard to fathom for the home side, as Cameroon beat record world champions Brazil in their last match at the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
"For how long have you been doing journalism? And for how long have I been here? What have I already done that those who were there before, didn't do when they were there? I'll be here till death," Song retorted.
Midfielder André-Frank Zambo Anguissa defended the under fire Song, who reportedly needs to win tomorrow's return leg in Johannesburg to save his job.
"I'll tell you the truth, that's the kind of question I don't like at all," he told reporters who had been asking the coach whether he should be fired.
"It seems like when Cameroon lose, it doesn't concern you. We are all Cameroonians, why shoot each other?" said the Napoli player.
In contrast, Brave Warriors head coach Collin Benjamin was jubilant after leading his underdogs, many of whom play amateur football at home, to the unlikely draw against Europe-based professionals.
Asked why he celebrated at the final whistle, Benjamin said holding Cameroon in their backyard was no easy feat and shows that the Brave Warriors have what it takes to qualify.
That ambition was demonstrated best by captain Peter Shalulile, who chased and harassed the hosts into a costly mistake on 73 minutes.
"Our mission was to steal points in Cameroon. Our main target, we want to go with you [Cameroon], the big boys to Afcon," said Benjamin.
"Our mission is very clear for us. We want to go to the Afcon. Maybe, for Cameroon its normal. It's okay. But for us, it's not normal. It takes hard work and sacrifice. It's not gonna be easy and we're gonna do this."
Benjamin said his team know tomorrow's home match in Johannesburg will be a much tougher assignment than Friday's contest.
The Warriors' intensity appeared to wane in the second half as debutant Olivier Kemen equalised for Cameroon on 73 minutes to grab a share of the spoils for the Indomitable Lions.
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"We have a young team, a very hungry team, a team that wants to succeed; and to succeed, you have to play against the big boys," said Benjamin.
"So, we are looking to getting Cameroon in Johannesburg. We're going to prepare for the Indomitable Lions like we did today [Friday]."
Skipper Shalulile was rewarded for his diligence, which often lands him "in the right place at the right time".
He hopes Namibia will be among the top two teams in Group C to qualify for the 2023 Afcon final, which takes place in the Ivory Coast in January next year.
"Scoring goals like this begins at training, we do it for a living. So, we just go out there and do what we do. We score goals and hope the team wins," said the in-form attacker.
"It's normal as a striker to anticipate balls between a centre back and goalkeeper. You should always be alert as a striker."
