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DERB-IRDS CASTRATE BULL!

17/09/2018 04:11:00 BY LWAZI DLAMINI

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Sports Editor
(At Somhlolo National Stadium)

Mb. Swallows.......................(1)3
Papi 44th, Wonder 47th, Sizolwethu 64th
Mb. Highlanders...................1)1
Thabiso 17th

LOBAMBA – Swashbuckling Mbabane Swallows re-wrote history books here yesterday when they equalled England’s Arsenal’s 49 league unbeaten run with a 3-1 victory over bitter rivals Mbabane Highlanders, which was the sweetest of them all.

The icing on top of the cake for multiple award-winning gaffer, Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati’s charges was the seventh straight win over their traditional rivals in all competitions, which include a 2-1 victory in the recent Eswatini Telecom Charity Cup final on August 5 at the same iconic venue. So merrier was the victory the honey-throated Swallows fans belted their favourite hymn, ‘Maswai-swai sinitsandza sonkhe’, which reverberated around the country’s soccer Mecca, threatening to raise the dead at the nearby Mdzimba Mountain, like never before. It was orgasmic. It was a sight to behold. It was mesmerising in every sense of the word.

achieved

While Arsene Wenger’s London Gunners 49 league games unbeaten run in the 18-team English Premier League was achieved between May 2003 to October 2004, losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford, the ‘Beautiful Birds’ have now gone two full seasons without defeat in the 12-team league (first season) and 14-team league (second season).

Yesterday’s 3-1 win on the opening day of the MTN league 2018/19 season, however, did not come on a silver platter as Mbabane Highlanders dominated the entire first half and deservedly scored a sublime team goal sweetly struck by the effervescent Thabiso Mokenkoane in the 17th minute, but only to fall apart like the biblical walls of Jericho in a nightmarish second half, which was completely dominated by the Swallows of Mbabane.

disoriented

Having made a perfect start, deservedly taking the lead, Highlanders looked disoriented in the second half, allowing Swallows to control the belly of the park after midfield maestro, Njabulo ‘D4D’ Ndlovu, who had earlier played as a second striker, reverted to his anchor-man role to outfox the exciting Vusimuzi Zungu.

On a cool Sunday afternoon with close to 10 000 fans crammed inside the iconic venue, Highlanders came out of the blocks the fastest, dominating proceedings as Zungu, Xolani ‘Chocco’ Sibandze and Mokenkoane toyed around a bemused Swallows, who had two new recruits in their starting line up in Stevy Guevane Nzambe and Siboniso Ndzabandzaba, who replaced the injured Mandla Palma.

Highlanders’ early dominance was capped by a strong contender for a ‘team goal of the season’, if ever there was any, two minutes after the quarter-hour mark. Left footed midfielder Mlamuli ‘Mlaba Nkambule picked ‘Chocco’ Sibandze with a defence freezing pass, in turn ‘Chocco’ laid it on the path of Zungu, who dazzled his way past two Swallows players before crossing for the unmarked Mokenkoane.

palpable

The eccentric South Africa-born striker, who netted 11 goals in his first season for Highlanders having joined in January, connected with a sublime finish into the roof of the net, leaving Swallows goalkeeper Sandanezwe Mathabela stranded. The celebrations from the Highlanders grandstand were palpable.
Highlanders were on the ascendancy, Swallows struggled to get their rhythm going, in particular with Richard Mccreesh being completely overshadowed by the twinkle-toed Zungu.

But this Swallows side, as it has become a norm since they last lost a league game to Royal Leopard on May 15, 2016, never know when a cause is lost.
This time, against the run of play and in fortuitous circumstances a minute before half-time, Highlanders failed to clear a gift-wrapped Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze corner-kick, timid reserve goalkeeper, Mxolisi Dlamini parried the ball to the path of man of the match Xolani ‘Papi’ Sikhondze inside the box.

The new jersey number 11 of Swallows finished off as cool-as-you-like to crown another sterling display that would have left even his bench-warming younger brother, ‘Pupu’ at South Africa’s Polokwane City green with envy. Swallows coach Thabo Vilakati made a swift tactical change, pulling off the struggling McCreesh for the inventive Sizolwethu Shabalala to give his side width on the right, dropping midfielder, ‘D4D’ Ndlovu to do the mop up job in the belly of the park.