SIHLANGU BREAK HEARTS AGAIN

MANZINI - Another dreadful performance by the national side Sihlangu.

Just when an opportunity to end a two-year winless run in official matches presented itself, Sihlangu broke the nation’s hearts again with another disastrous showing against an average Niger in a ‘dead rubber’ Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier  here yesterday. A section of the about 200 supporters who were almost outnumbered by the support staff watched in disbelief  as Ghana-based first half substitute  Adebayor Zakari orchestrated Sihlangu’s downfall with a  second half brace to overturn a 1-0 early deficit. While some of the fans jadedly dragged themselves out of the stadium in disappointment after the visitors scored the second goal, the few who remained behind crammed the entrance of the tunnels and shouted expletives at coach Anthony Mdluli as he returned to the dressing room.

A win would have not changed anything in the race to the 2019 AFCON finals in Cameroon, but the supporters needed ‘reprieve’ following a win-less run since the start of the qualifying campaign. Sihlangu only have the point collected from the goal-less draw away in Niger in the qualifiers and have since been relegated to the basement of the charts in Group J. The national outfit’s loyalists were also left cursing off-form goalkeeper Sandanezwe Mathabela whose failure to deal with crosses derailed the team.
It was 23 minutes of madness, as the hosts performed dismally in the second half, after Mlamuli ‘Mlamuli’ Nkambule had given them an early advantage, after he punished a stuttering Niger defence in the 18th minute. It was a game of two halves, as the home team were adventurous during the early exchanges and had first restricted the visitors to route one football.  However, Eswatini had only Mlaba’s goal to show for their brave first half performance during the interval.

The first half team talk was a turning point for the visitors, as former Ivory Coast Francois Zahoui, who is in charge of the ‘Menas’ of Niger, had an ace up his sleeve. His troops dismantled Sihlangu’s defence, as he threw three men forward and they were first to the ball. At some point, Sihlangu’s ball possession would have easily read like a cold temperature in Mbabane, as the visitors sprayed the ball across the field of play. The unexpected substitution of skipper Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze for Mxolisi Mkhontfo further left Sihlangu vulnerable on the left wing. Zakari restored parity when the game was 54 minutes old, as he benefitted from a set piece from outside the box. He beat Sandanezwe with a low shot following clumsy defending. Sandanezwe kept allowing in crosses and got punished again in the 77th minute after he failed to reach for an easy cross. Zakari did not need a second invitation, as he blasted home from close range to give his team an advantage.

While Niger were resorting to conservative play towards the end, Sihlangu still failed to trouble the visiting goalkeeper Daouda Kassaly. Mxolisi Mkhontfo, who replaced ‘TT’, had the last throw of the dice with a long range audacious effort, which was parried to safety deep into stoppage time. When referee Ahmad Heeralall from Mauritius signalled for the end of proceedings, it was the same old story for the national outfit, as their search for their first win in an official match since 2016 continued.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: