‘NAVARA’ INSPIRES RED LIONS’ WIN OVER B. BOYS

(At Manzini Club)

Bad Boys.....................................(0)0
Red Lions....................................(1)2
Oladele 32nd pen, Navara 70th

MANZINI – A Mzwandile ‘Navara’ Ndzimandze inspired Red Lions mauled and tore to shreds elite league rookies Baby Boys under blazing hot conditions yesterday.

Lions, under the guidance of coach Ernest Mavuso, were not so convincing, in all honesty, but they did the job and annexed the precious maximum points to jump to the seventh spot of the MTN log standings, while condemning the big league’s newcomers to the 11th spot and deeper into the relegation quagmire.

It is hard to believe that Bad Boys once sat on the summit of the standings. They now look like relegation candidates alongside Malanti Chiefs.
Yesterday, against Red Lions, in front of a very poor crowd at the Manzini Club, Bad Boys were not so bad, really. They seemed to lack the killer punch, as their top goalscorer Sifiso Dlamini was isolated up front.

Bad Boys enjoyed a larger share of the possession, especially in the first half, but did not have the mental strength to go past the Baimba Kamara and Karin Banter marshalled defence, as their attacks fizzled out before reaching the danger area.
Red Lions, on the other hand, relied heavily on Ndzimandze’s speed, who gave the Bad Boys’ defence all sorts of problems whenever he was in possession of the ball.

The speedy forward won his team a penalty, much against the run of play when the Bad Boys goalkeeper Samkeliso Dlamini hacked the goal-bound striker. Referee Wandile ‘Mancane’ Magagula did not hesitate to point to the spot kick. However, the Bad Boys goalkeeper was lucky to escape, as his foul clearly deserved a straight red card. He was only shown the yellow. Solomon Oladele stepped up to send an unstoppable shot into the back of the net and Lions took an underserved lead to the break.
Bad Boys threatened in the last half and even though they introduced striker Mohamed Sabella to partner Dlamini up front, they still could not create any clear-cut scoring opportunities.
It was Ndzimandze who scored the winner instead, with about 20 minutes of regulation time remaining. He finished superbly with his left foot from close range after catching the Bad Boys defence napping.
It was game over.

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