Times Of Swaziland: SUPER STARS FORCE BEES OUT IN HRFA PLAY-OFFS

SUPER STARS FORCE BEES OUT IN HRFA PLAY-OFFS
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Sanele Jele on 12/06/2024 11:44:00


MBABANE – Lobamba Bees have been eliminated from the Hhohho Regional Football
Association (HRFA) Super League play-offs.
This was  after a hard-fought match against Super Stars, resulting in a 3-2 loss
at the Prince of Wales Sports Ground on Sunday. The team’s exit comes after
consecutive losses in the group B play-offs. Their hopes were dashed following a
1-0 defeat to Burning Spear last week, followed by another disappointing loss to
the Nkhaba-based league yesterday. This outcome signifies their elimination from
contention for a spot in the country’s football third-tier, as only the winner
qualifies. The runner-up will face off against the runners-up in group A, with
the ultimate winner joining the group winners from each group.
In group A, the competition is fierce among teams that include Maphalaleni
Manchester, Sibuyeni and Double Action. Notably, the latter was held to a
goalless draw by Sibuyeni in the opening game of the playoffs last week. In
another group A play-offs clash, Sibuyeni secured another draw against
Manchester. The sides played to a 2-all draw. This means Sibuyeni take the lead
with two points in this group. Back to Group B action, Super Stars’ Mthunzi
Dlamini sealed a 3-2 victory for his team with a crucial goal in added time,
decisively tipping the balance in their favour and securing the win.
The game appeared to be heading for a draw after Bees’ Melusi Bhembe equalised
three minutes before full-time, only for Mthunzi to snatch the winning goal in
added time. The highly-contested game saw the first half concluding in a
goalless draw, with the second half presenting a different dynamic as Super
Stars broke the deadlock just one minute after the restart. Former Green Mamba
star Timanga Mangwe capitalised on a goalmouth scramble to make the
breakthrough.
Hero
Bhembe, the double-goal hero, restored parity two minutes before the hour mark.
Shortly after, the Phumlani Dlamini coached team reclaimed the lead when Bheki
Vilakati was fouled in the box, leading to a penalty that Linda Dlamini expertly
converted, putting Super Stars ahead 2-1. In the dying minutes of the game,
Bhembe, who had already scored earlier, found the net once more. However, this
was insufficient as Super Stars secured the victory with Mthunzi’s late strike
in added time.