SIHLANGU LOOKING FOR CONSOLATION

PHOKENG – Very few Swazis might have been aware that the COSAFA Castle Cup bronze medal won in last year’s tournament, when the national team, Sihlangu, were under guidance of Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga was not the first.

The nation’s pride had previously won the bronze medal in 1999 and 2002, so says the records at COSAFA.
After the painful exit on Sunday night, going down 1-2 to Zimbabwe’s Brave Warriors at the beautiful Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace before 3 000 fans, Sihlangu will be hoping they can get a route via the ‘Plate’ opening, where the four losing quarter-finalists play against each other to produce two teams which will then play the two losing semi-finalists in a battle for third place where a bronze medal will be handed out. Swaziland will play Namibia’s Desert Warriors tonight in the main match at 7:30pm while defending champions, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who were ousted by Tanzania by a champion score 1-0 on Sunday, will play Botswana’s Zebras in the earlier match set for a 5pm kick-off time.

“It is still a game we want to win. In the national team there are no easy games and we have a duty to win the games we play,” said Sihlangu Belgian coach, Pieter De Jongh after yesterday’s training session held at the well manicured training pitch at the plush Royal Marang Hotel, the home of South Africa’s Premier Soccer League outfit, Platinum Stars.
If the words of coach, De Jongh are anything to go by, Sihlangu will be hoping they can go all the way to the third place play-off final to be staged on Saturday. De Jongh would have been pleased with his team’s second-half showing after an impotent display in the first-half in which they chased shadows against the tactically superior Zimbabwe’s Brave Warriors, who are growing in leaps and bounds under the guidance of coach Sunday Chidzambwa, ably assisted by former Green Mamba coach, Lloyd Mtasa and Bongani Mafu.

The three-time (2000, 2005, 2009) COSAFA Champions looks like a complete team that will go all the way to the final, as their quick counter-attacks and enterprising play proved too much for Sihlangu to handle.
Sihlangu will be minus the injured striker Phinda ‘Phindrix’ Dlamini, who sustained an ankle injury in the game against Zimbabwe and Manzini Wanderers striker, Sifiso Matse, who added firepower upfront when he came in for Xolani ‘Chocco’ Sibandze, is likely to fill the void. De Jongh is also likely to give the likes of Sabelo ‘Sawa’ Gamedze, Midas City’s Simanga Shongwe and Sifiso Mazibuko a chance.
The ‘Plate’ is a platform by COSAFA meant to give the teams more games and enabling them to utilise all the players in the context of development which dovetails with the concept of the tournament in being the dais ‘where legends are brewed.’
Tonight is also an opportunity for Sihlangu to redeem themselves after bombing out of the main tournament on Sunday night.

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