DRAMA AS ROYAL LEOPARD MARCH INTO FINAL

(At Somhlolo National Stadium)

Leopard..................................... (1)1
Barry 8th
Buffaloes.................................... (1)1
Sanele 16th
Leopard won 2-1 on aggregate

LOBAMBA – Royal Leopard have survived a scare from Young Buffaloes to march to their second straight Castle Premier Challenge final.

An early strike by forward, Barry Steenkamp, was enough to earn the police outfit a place in the decider, prevailing 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-all stalemate in the tension-filled semi-final second leg at Somholo National Stadium yesterday.
At some point, the venue could be mistaken for a war zone as tempers flared but it did not matter for Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane’s charges as they had already done the damage. They would face one of the capital city heavyweights in Mbabane Highlanders and Mbabane Swallows, who cross swords in the second semi-final today in the quest to claim the E800-winner-takes-all purse.

For the visitors, it was like in stab the heart after dictating terms for prolonged periods and had glorious chances to score the extra goal that would have earned them a win on away goals.
It was ‘player of the moment’, Sanele Ngcamphalala, who had given the less than 50 visiting supporters hope when he restored parity when the game was 16 minutes old. The hosts drew first blood through Steenkamp who connected a Zweli ‘Mlilo’ Nxumalo free-kick inside the first 10 minutes, scoring his second goal of the tournament.

Buffaloes were in the ascendancy after the equaliser, with Sandile Gamedze bringing out the best out Phephisani Msibi, with a rasping shot from outside the box five minutes before the recess. Ngcamphalala almost became a villain as he clashed with Leopard versatile defender, Sicelo Mavimbela, in added time, setting the tone for a dramatic showdown.
The teams could still not be separated at the break.

It was all Buffaloes after the re-start, with about a dozen attempts on target. Leopard, on the other hand, relentlessly tightened their backdoor. They sacrificed forward Bonginkhosi ‘Manyovu’ Dlamini for Xolani ‘Papi’ Sikhondze, in the bid to close the game. They had a last laugh at the end of proceedings.

There was more drama after the sound of Mbongiseni Fakudze’s final whistle. A Leopard ball boy had to be rescued to safety after some officials attempted to rearrange his face. Behind the tunnels police had a tough time separating quarrelling officials.

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