Times Of Swaziland: CLASSY ‘BIRDS’  SWALLOW ZANACO!

CLASSY ‘BIRDS’  SWALLOW ZANACO!
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BY LWAZI DLAMINI on 08/03/2018 07:32:00


Sports Editor
(At Nkoloma Stadium)
In Lusaka, Zambia
Courtesy of Swazi MTN
Zanaco FC................................................1
Chavda 41st
Mb. Swallows...........................................2
Felix 55th, Mcreesh 86th
LUSAKA – Classic! Brilliant! Stunning! All those adjectives and more don’t
tell half the incredible story of how Mbabane Swallows stunned Zambian top side,
Zanaco FC at home with a 2-1 defeat that left the modest 5 000 capacity stadium
quieter than most mortuaries around the Chianama province here in Lusaka
yesterday.
The stunning victory, courtesy of two sublime goals by attacking midfielder
Felix Badenhorst and undoubted ‘man of the match’, the budding Richard
Mcreesh, provoked the motley group of 70 travelling honey-throated Swallows fans
into the longest rendition ever heard of the popular trademark song,
‘Myekeleni Aphumule’ in honour of slain club boss, Victor ‘Maradona’
Gamedze.
The dearly departed Gamedze must have belted a Colgate smile in his death-bed at
the fertile soil of the humble KaLanga dwellings.
After this historic win, the ‘Beautiful Birds’ are now just one game away
from reaching the group stages of the prestigious CAF Champions League for the
first time ever and in line of earning a lucrative E6.6 million in prize money.
Yesterday, in a muddy and soggy pitch, in front of 5 000 Zanaco home fans,
Swallows displayed a disciplined, workmanship-like performance to frustrate the
‘Bankers’ of Zambia for prolonged periods of time and then struck two well
taken goals when it mattered the most to leave the soccer-crazy Zambians
shell-shocked as if they had just been diagnosed with the deadly Listeriosis.
The football gods also smiled on Swallows when Zanaco FC’s Felix Nyaende
ballooned his stoppage time penalty over the bar, awarded after strong defender,
Stanley Umukora, was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box.
Zanaco had started the game like a house on fire in a first half they largely
dominated as they pressed Swallows high up the muddy pitch with incisive moves,
especially left winger Ernest Mbewe taking right full-back, Sifiso Mabila to the
cleaners each time he had the ball in his educated left foot.