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‘BIRDS’, ‘BUFFS’ IN CUP FINAL

23/01/2017 00:49:00 BY LWAZI DLAMINI

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LOBAMBA – The 2017 second edition of the magical Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF) Ingwenyama Cup final early next month will be the sweetest imaginable.

Two of the country’s strongest sides, Young Buffaloes and Mbabane Swallows, will battle it out for the princely E1.2 million winner’s cheque in a Cup final that is set to have all the ingredients of a thriller rolled into one.

If you thought the Swallows versus Sundowns semi-final clash was a humdinger, then buckle up!... you are about to undergo a hectic journey in the Cup final that will be exciting, exhilarating and mind numbing in equal measure.

Swallows and Buffaloes sailed to the final in emphatic fashion here yesterday with the army side edging out a lacklustre Tambuti FC without breaking a sweat in the first game after an own goal by captain, Mpendulo Ngidi in the 21st minute and ball juggler Wandile ‘Skosh’ Shabangu sealing the relegation-threatened Lubombo-based outfit’s fate with a close finish in the 51st minute.

For the irrepressible Swallows, who were clearly not at their devastating best, this will be the second appearance in the Cup final after beating Royal Leopard 2-0 in last year’s edition held on Sunday, March 13, 2016.

Having met at the same stage in the same tournament last year with the high flying ‘Birds’ emerging 5-2 winners, Sundowns were better prepared, more confident and took the game to the red and white outfit in astonishing fashion. The Manzini side rattled the ‘Birds’ nest with incisive moves despite playing with a lone striker and created better chances in a fiercely contested encounter.

Swallows’ resilience, however, won the day as the 23-game unbeaten-in-a-row ‘Birds’ dug deep into their reserves of courage to outwit the highly resistant Sundowns 2-1 in an enthralling contest that kept the rousing over 4 000 fans on the edges of their seats throughout.